Chapter 109 Chapter 109

Chapter 109

"Do you have something to attend to?"

When Xu Duanyi got the message, it was already time for dinner.

Regarding this outcome,

Zhang Ning and Ping'an were somewhat unhappy, but Xu Duanyi was relatively fine.

If this had been in the past,

Or before her cousin approached her yesterday,

She might have dwelled on it, but now, knowing his feelings, although she felt a bit regretful that she couldn't see him immediately and have a meal with him, she wasn't too sad.

"Let's eat first, then." After sending the messenger away, she actively invited the siblings to join her.

Noticing she wasn't upset, the siblings stayed quiet.

Soon, Bixi brought in the servants to serve the meal, and Xu Duanyi, accompanied by Zhang Ning and Ping'an, had her first dinner back at the manor.

After finishing the meal,

Zhang Ning still didn’t want to leave.

However, Ping'an, being observant, noticed that Bixi still had something to say to her sister-in-law, so she stood up first and said, "Sister-in-law, you must be exhausted after a day of traveling. You should rest; Zhang Ning and I will go now."

"Oh, right, sister-in-law, you should freshen up and rest. I’ll let you rest now," Zhang Ning said, though reluctant, she was always sensible and stood up as well.

After all, her sister-in-law was home now.

She could come anytime she wanted.

With this thought, Zhang Ning’s reluctance faded, and she became cheerful again.

Xu Duanyi smiled and said, "Alright," stood up to walk the siblings out, and then asked Shiyu to have someone light their way back.

She watched them leave the courtyard.

Xu Duanyi glanced at Bixi before heading inside.

"Keep watch outside." Before entering, Bixi instructed Xiu Yu, then followed her mistress in.

Xu Duanyi knew everything was in order.

When Bixi followed her in, Xu Duanyi asked directly, "What did Qiao Zhong tell you?"

Bixi didn't hide anything.

After helping her mistress to the seat by the window, she lowered her voice and reported, "Qiao Zhong found out that there is a man named Quan Fangtong who is very close to Cao Da."

Bixi stood by and relayed everything Qiao Zhong had told her that day, word for word, to her mistress.

"Cao Da is surrounded by people, and Qiao Zhong dared not investigate too deeply for fear of being discovered, so the information he could gather was limited."

"Based on what he found, this Quan Fangtong was previously a Langzhong in the Department of Revenue, and his last assignment was to transport supplies for the Battle of Changye."

Her mistress’s face darkened at the mention of the 'Battle of Changye.'

Bixi didn't stop and continued to whisper to her: "After that, Qiao Zhong had someone look into Quan Fangtong's activities over the years."

"They found out that after the Battle of Changye incident, Quan Fangtong was inexplicably transferred out of the capital. He first served as a county magistrate in a little-known county in Jiangning for two years, and then he started getting promoted out of the blue. Now, he's landed the lucrative role of Jiangning Textile Commissioner."

"Qiao Zhong also said that Quan Fangtong makes a yearly trip to the capital to kowtow to Cao Da, and he does it often. Oddly, even Chen Li, Cao Da's right-hand man, treats him with a lot of respect."

Xu Duanyi had already guessed.

Xie Qingya's deep-seated dislike for Cao Da probably came from Cao Da's tight connection to the Battle of Changye.

Now, with this Quan Fangtong showing up...

Who, as it turns out, was in charge of moving supplies during the Battle of Changye.

Looks like she was right.

"Is Quan Fangtong in the capital right now?" Xu Duanyi asked her.

Qiao Zhong doesn't go after people for no reason. He must've found something in the palace that made him look into Quan Fangtong.

Otherwise, how would Qiao Zhong even know about someone like him way out in Jiangning?

Regarding this, Bixi had already checked into that earlier.

So she shot back right away: "Yeah, he bought a place in the capital years back, near the North Fourth Gate. Word is, he's been hitting up a lot of banquets lately."

"One more thing..."

With Xu Duanyi giving her the eye, Bixi went on: "Looks like Quan Fangtong's got his eye on the Salt Commissioner gig too. Qiao Zhong says Cao Da wasn't having it, but Quan Fangtong's been throwing his weight around the city lately, partying non-stop. Seems like he's found another angle, but who he's cozying up to is anyone's guess."

"If you want, I can have someone dig deeper."

She'd only caught wind of this stuff this afternoon.

There wasn't enough time to get the full scoop.

"This isn't urgent."

Xu Duanyi pondered: "I'll ask the prince first when he returns."

Hearing this answer, Bixi looked at her with some surprise.

She had thought that her mistress would once again choose to investigate secretly on her own, without informing the prince.

Unexpectedly...

Xu Duanyi was well aware of what Bixi was surprised about. If it weren't for her cousin's words yesterday, she probably would have chosen to investigate those matters secretly on her own.

It could be said that Xie Qingya's decision had given her a lot of confidence and courage.

She naturally did not want unnecessary misunderstandings and secrets between them.

She just didn't know if her aunt had a hand in that matter...

Thinking of this, Xu Duanyi couldn't help but frown.

However, it didn't last long before she gave the order: "Have someone bring in water first. I need to freshen up."

After a day of travel.

Though she didn’t sweat easily, her body still felt somewhat sticky.

Thinking that after she finished washing up, Xie Qingyan should be back, it would be convenient to talk with others afterward.

But even after she finished washing up,

her hair had already dried, yet Xie Qingyan still hadn’t returned.

"Have you found out? Is the Prince in the study, or hasn’t he returned yet?" Xu Duan Yi asked, frowning and glancing at the water clock not far away.

It was almost the hour of Dog.

Given Xie Qingyan’s nature, if there were truly important matters, even if he couldn’t return, he should have sent word to inform her of his approximate return time.

He wouldn’t let her wait like this indefinitely.

Unless he currently has no time, nor the opportunity to send someone back with a message.

For some reason, her heart suddenly tightened, thumping incessantly in her chest.

Anxiety welled up within her.

Restless and uneasy.

Xu Duan Yi couldn’t sit still anymore. She got up and paced a few steps in the room, then instructed Bi Xi, "Go find the person who went to look for the Prince and see what they said."

The messenger was a maid from the outer courtyard.

She was not the one who went directly to find Xie Qingya.

The messenger only said that the prince was occupied with some matters and would return later, telling them not to wait for him to have dinner, but she didn't say anything else.

Bixi knew she was anxious, so naturally, she didn't dare to delay and quickly agreed before going out.

About half an hour later, Bixi returned, out of breath.

Xu Duanyi had Xiu Yu pour her a bowl of tea and immediately asked, "What did he say?"

Bixi didn't bother to drink the tea first and replied, "That person said he saw the prince at the yamen gate. Originally, the prince was planning to return directly to the residence, but he suddenly ran into Lingji. It's unclear what Lingji said to him, but after that, the prince told him to return first."

After finishing her words, Bixi took a sip of tea.

Seeing her master deep in thought, she was about to ask when she suddenly heard her master say, "Shiyu, go prepare the carriage. We're going out."

At Xu Duanyi's words, all the maids turned to her.

But Xu Duanyi didn't explain further, just frowned and urged Shiyu again, "Hurry up!"

Shiyu didn't hesitate and immediately ran out.

"Do my hair," Xu Duanyi instructed Bixi again.

With that, she headed into the inner room.

After sharing a look, Bixi and Xiu Yu didn’t waste any time. One grabbed the outdoor clothes while the other styled Xu Duanyi's hair.

"Where are you heading to find the prince?" Bixi asked softly while styling her hair.

Xu Duanyi countered with a question, "You mentioned Quan Fangtong lives at the North Fourth Gate? Where exactly is that?"

Upon hearing this, Bixi's expression shifted slightly.

Not wanting to keep anything from her, she quickly shared the address she had found earlier. After finishing, she looked at her mistress and asked in a low voice, "Do you think the prince is looking for Quan Fangtong?"

Xu Duanyi replied gravely, "I don't know."

But this was the only place she could think of.

To keep things simple, Xu Duanyi just had her hair done quickly to look decent, then got dressed and headed out.

She told Xiu Yu to stay at the mansion, then brought Bixi along to the gatehouse.

The carriage was ready and waiting.

Xu Duanyi skipped the coachman and had Shiyu drive instead.

When the prince's servants asked, she just said she was heading back to the marquis's mansion and would be back by night.

The North Fourth Gate was on the way to the marquis's mansion.

She quickly got into the carriage and told Shiyu to head to the Quan residence.

...

Just as Xu Duanyi set off for the Quan residence, a group of black-clad men sneaked into the Quan residence.

This wasn’t Quan Fangtong’s main residence, after all.

There weren’t many servants or women, but plenty of guards patrolled the area.

Quan Fangtong was always paranoid about his safety, and no matter where he went, he would bring a group of people to protect him.

Today, he came back from a banquet like usual.

Since he couldn’t reach Xiao Yuanfu, he wasn’t in the mood and came back early, sober.

Originally, these two days should have been when Xiao Yuanfu introduced him.

But he waited for two days and neither saw anyone nor received any notice.

Today, he simply went to the Ministry of Revenue to find Xiao Yuanfu, only to learn that Xiao Yuanfu had taken sick leave yesterday.

Not sure if he was really sick or pretending, he didn’t dare to rashly go to the Xiao family to find him.

But the position of Salt Commissioner was about to be decided, and Xiao Yuanfu hadn’t yet introduced him. Quan Fangtong was really afraid something might go wrong…

He speculated in his heart—could it be that Xiao Yuanfu was holding out for a higher price, not satisfied with the fifty percent interest rate?

So he deliberately kept him at arm’s length, waiting for him to bring more benefits to negotiate?

Quan Fangtong secretly regretted.

He’d never met anyone as greedy as he was!

Quan Fangtong, still annoyed, walked towards his bedroom, intending to get more money to give to Xiao Yuanfu first, to settle the matter.

No matter the cost.

As long as he could secure that position, wouldn't the annual benefits still be at his discretion?

Whether to give more or less, it would all be up to him.

"Guard the perimeter," Quan Fangtong instructed his attendants before entering the room.

After hearing their acknowledgment, he pushed the door open and entered.

He then closed the door behind him, to keep the location of his money a secret.

Without his knowledge, just after he entered the room, the guards outside were silently eliminated.

The guards at the entrance did notice something.

But just as one guard shouted "Who's there?" and before he could react, he was stabbed.

Quan Fangtong was in the process of retrieving the money.

Hearing the noise outside, he closed the mechanism and shouted, "What's going on?"

There was no response.

Quan Fangtong saw only blood splattered on the door.

Seeing this, Quan Fangtong was terrified.

He screamed, desperate to reopen the mechanism and flee inside, but before he could act, the door was kicked open.

Several men in black burst in.

Outside lay two corpses, the door guards.

Quan Fangtong looked at them in terror, backing away while searching for something to defend himself: "Who... who are you?!"

"I am a court official, what... what do you want with me?"

Naturally, no one listened.

One of the men in black moved to kill Quan Fangtong, but suddenly heard other sounds from behind.

"Boss, it seems someone's coming."

He whispered to the leader.

The man grunted, "Go see what's happening, I'll take care of this."

These men were used to following his orders without hesitation and immediately left.

The room was now left with only the man in black and Quan Fangtong.

Unlike the other black-clad, masked men, the man wore a mask that completely concealed his facial features.

His voice was also unnaturally low, clearly not his own.

Gripping a long sword, he looked at Quan Fangtong and walked toward him step by step.

Quan Fangtong went pale, his voice trembling as he continued to retreat: "Who sent you to kill me? I... I can give you money, whatever you want, just don't kill me!"

Seeing the man remained unmoved.

Quan Fangtong did everything he could, hurling whatever he could grab at the man, trying to stop him from approaching and find a way to escape.

He found no escape.

Instead, Quan Fangtong knocked off the man's mask.

Seeing the familiar face, Quan Fangtong's eyes widened in shock, and he froze: "It's you? How could it be you?"

Quan Fangtong had never expected that the man in black who came to kill him was actually Chai Shou!

Seeing Chai Shou, Quan Fangtong's fear vanished, and he instinctively started ordering him around: "Chai, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"You dare to kill me? Are you out of your mind?!"

"If my brother finds out, you're..."

At that moment, Quan Fangtong suddenly sensed something was amiss.

Chai Shou always followed his brother's orders, why would he suddenly come to kill him? Could it be...

His face flushed and paled in turns.

"You..."

Chai Shou looked at him and tutted.

He bent down to pick up the mask from the ground, casually saying, "Why do you have to die knowing the truth? Isn't this just making it worse for yourself?"

"...Why?"

Quan Fangtong was utterly confused. He couldn't understand why his brother wanted to kill him. Fear and anger surged within him simultaneously.

His voice rose uncontrollably.

"Why does he want to kill me? What did I do wrong!"

Chai Shou picked up the mask from the ground, casually putting it back on his face, and looked at him mockingly: "What do you think you've done wrong?"

Quan Fangtong realized something, and his face went pale again.

"I, I can resign from that position, I... I will go back to Jiangning now, and never come back, I will give you all the money, you go and tell my brother... I will go back now!" He looked at Chai Shou, crying bitterly.

But Chai Shou, his mask still coldly in place, looked at him and said, "It's too late."

He finished speaking.

Without hesitation, he raised the knife in his hand and advanced on Quan Fangtong.

Seeing the knife, Quan Fangtong's face turned pale. Without considering if he could escape, his survival instinct kicked in, and he bolted for the door.

He could feel Chai Shou chasing after him from behind.

Fearing he would become Chai Shou's next victim, Quan Fangtong gritted his teeth and rushed out when, suddenly—

He was grabbed by the arm.

"Ah!"

Believing he was caught, Quan Fangtong screamed again.

He instinctively flailed his arm to break free but suddenly heard an impatient voice in his ear: "Shut up!"

The voice belonged to a much younger man.

Quan Fangtong was slightly stunned. He opened his eyes and saw a black-clad man with a high ponytail. He clearly wasn’t part of Chai Shou’s group.

Quan Fangtong’s face lit up with hope. Without caring who he was, he immediately grabbed the man's arm and shouted, "Please, save me!"

Xie Qingya glanced at him coldly.

If he didn’t still need answers from Quan Fangtong, he might’ve thrown a punch right then.

Ignoring Quan Fangtong, he stepped forward and locked eyes with Chai Shou.

Then he immediately took out the lime powder he had prepared in advance and scattered it toward Chai Shou. As soon as Chai Shou was forced back, he didn’t hesitate, grabbed Quan Fangtong, and climbed over the wall to leave.

"Boss, the person has been taken away!"

The other few black-clothed men were now trapped by the people Xie Qingyan had brought. They watched helplessly as this unknown black-clothed man took Quan Fangtong away. They wanted to rush forward to stop him but were blocked, rendering their efforts futile.

...

After Xie Qingyan took Quan Fangtong away from the Quan residence,

he led his people into an abandoned house that had been arranged beforehand. Sensing no pursuit behind him, he immediately let go and disdainfully threw Quan Fangtong to the ground.

Quan Fangtong, who had been tossed around, was already dizzy and disoriented.

Now, hitting the ground with his forehead, he vomited on the spot.

But at least he had survived, and Quan Fangtong felt immensely relieved.

Wiping the corners of his mouth clean, he turned anxiously to the man and said, "Hero, please escort me out of the city. Once I leave the capital, I will surely offer you a thousand gold pieces!"

He could no longer stay in the capital; he had to leave immediately!

Turning to see the man’s eyes filled with disgust and hatred, Quan Fangtong was slightly taken aback.

He hadn’t noticed before, but now, looking at the eyes above the masked face, Quan Fangtong felt a strange sense of familiarity.

"You—"

He called out, staring at the man.

"If you value your life, answer my questions!" Xie Qingya said, dragging the man away from the original spot. After pinning him against a tree, he continued with a cold expression: "Tell me, what did you do in the Battle of Changye?!"

Quan Fangtong's face immediately changed upon hearing those four words. He had only suspected the man's identity earlier, but now...

"P-Prince Nan'an?" he stammered, looking at the man in terror.

He had thought this man was a savior sent to rescue him from peril, but now it seemed he had just escaped the tiger's den only to fall into the wolf's lair!

Quan Fangtong's face turned pale, and he wanted to flee again.

But how could Xie Qingya let him escape? His sword immediately pierced the tree next to Quan Fangtong's face: "Cao Da's men are still after you. You'd better answer me honestly, or I'll hand you over right now!"

"N-no, please don't!"

Quan Fangtong's eyes widened in fear.

"Speak! What exactly did you do back then? And who in the Jizhou Battalion aided you?"

Quan Fangtong hadn't expected him to have already uncovered this much. His face shifted again, and he cautiously bargained with Xie Qingya: "...If I tell you everything, will you spare me?"

Xie Qingya's rage was hard to suppress.

The veins on the back of his hand, gripping the sword hilt, bulged like coiled snakes.

He wanted nothing more than to kill Quan Fangtong right then and there, but he knew that uncovering the truth was the most important thing right now.

Forcing himself to suppress his hatred, he nodded.

Before Quan Fangtong could speak again, Xie Qingya glared at him and growled in a low voice: "Don't haggle with me, and don't try to stall for time. If you don't give me a clear answer today, I'll turn you over to Cao Da right now!"

Quan Fangtong was frightened once more, his face shifting again.

Facing the murderous Xie Qingya, who looked like a wrathful deity, Quan Fangtong felt utterly wretched. But with his life in the man's hands, no matter how much he regretted it, he could only rack his brains and speak: "Back then, Cao Da said he wanted to teach your father a lesson..."

He glanced at Xie Qingya and swallowed the name, replacing it with a deferential title.

"But with the supplies, the shortages were too glaring, so... someone came up with the idea of swapping the armor, thinking it would humiliate them and make them suffer a loss."

Xie Qingya's brow twitched violently upon hearing 'someone.'

Seeing Quan Fangtong's evasive gaze, Xie Qingya knew full well that the idea of swapping the armor had likely come from Quan Fangtong himself.

Given Quan Fangtong's greedy nature, he must have replaced the high-quality materials of the armor with defective ones to make a profit.

But he wasn't sure if this was Quan Fangtong's idea alone or if it was Cao Da's.

He deliberately held back, his voice hoarse as he asked in a low tone: "And then?"

"Actually, actually..." Quan Fangtong stammered, unable to avoid speaking under Xie Qingya's gaze: "they didn't expect it to turn out like this. They just wanted to teach Prince Nan'an a lesson, no, they never thought the armor would actually be used. Even if it was, with their skills, that battle shouldn't have gone wrong."

"That battle shouldn't have gone wrong, it shouldn't have..." Quan Fangtong's eyes began to glaze over as he spoke.

Even now, he still felt a lingering fear.

Although many years have passed, he still seems to remember the scene from that time.

He was originally sitting comfortably in the military camp, sipping tea, thinking that with such a large sum of money, he was naturally extremely pleased.

Who could have guessed that sudden news would come from outside, saying that the people Prince Nan'an had taken with him were in trouble!

The entire camp erupted into chaos, and panic gripped him.

After a brief investigation, he discovered that Prince Nan'an's men were wearing the very armor he had supplied.

His vision blurred as darkness closed in.

Xie Qingya knew that he also had a part in this.

If he hadn't acted recklessly back then, his father and brother wouldn't have rushed to save him without carefully checking the armor, and they wouldn't have fallen into the enemy's trap like this.

His heart ached with guilt, and tears welled in his eyes.

After a deep, steadying breath.

Xie Qingya lunged forward, seizing Quan Fangtong by the throat. Before Quan could even react, Xie growled, his face twisted with fury, "You still dare to lie to me now!"

"I... I swear I didn't..."

Quan Fangtong was caught off guard as Xie's rage exploded.

He thrashed, his eyes rolling back, his voice a ragged gasp.

Xie Qingya's grip tightened, his murderous intent clear.

Quan Fangtong fought in vain, unable to escape, his hands clawing weakly at Xie's arm.

"You claim Cao Da swapped the armor to humiliate my father? Do you take me for a fool?" Though he despised Cao Da, he knew Cao wasn't that stupid.

Either Cao had murder in his heart, or he wouldn't have touched the armor.

"Was it Cao Da's plot to kill us, or your greed that drove you to sell the armor?" Xie said, loosening his grip slightly.

The moment Xie loosened his grip, Quan Fangtong gasped and coughed.

But Xie's patience was razor-thin.

His sword at Quan's throat, Xie barked, "Talk!"

Quan Fangtong stared at the blade, his mind a whirlwind of fear.

His face drained of color.

He was trapped—lying meant death, but the truth would seal his fate too.

Xie Qingya saw the truth in his eyes.

"So it was you..." he murmured hoarsely.

He had initially believed that Cao Da was trying to kill them, by having someone replace the armor, ensuring their death over there. Little did he know... that this entire conspiracy boiled down to just two words.

—Greed.

The hand gripping the sword hilt tightened, knuckles cracking.

At this moment, the killing intent in his eyes was unmistakable as he looked at Quan Fangtong.

Quan Fangtong clearly sensed it.

Leaning against the tree, unable to escape, he could only cling to Xie Qingya's thigh, sobbing and begging, "Your Highness, Your Highness, I truly didn't expect this."

"Those people told me that these items were identical, just slightly worn. They even let me try them, otherwise I wouldn't have dared to do this!"

"I implore you, spare my miserable life! I know you despise Cao Da, I... I can tell you all the things he's done in private over the years!"

"Just let me go!"

As he spoke, he kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead pounding against the ground.

Xie Qingya still tightly gripped the sword hilt.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally suppressed his emotions, seized Quan Fangtong by the collar, and demanded, "Who in the Jizhou Battalion is helping you?"

Quan Fangtong naturally couldn't dare to hide anything now.

He looked up at Xie Qingya and said, "It's..."

As Xie Qingya watched him speak, he sensed that the long-buried truth was on the verge of being revealed.

In fact, compared to Cao Da and Quan Fangtong,

he hated even more the person in the Jizhou Battalion who had helped conceal the truth...

"Who is that person?" he pressed, unable to contain his urgency.

He could no longer suppress the rage that had simmered within him for years.

Quan Fangtong sensed his fury, and his voice grew even softer: "It's, it's..."

But before he could finish,

Xie Qingya felt something behind him, as if it were charging towards him.

His instinctive awareness of danger made him act without thinking, pulling Quan Fangtong out of harm's way.

Almost as soon as they moved,

three plum blossom darts nailed into the tree in front of them.

Quan Fangtong screamed in terror at the sight, while Xie Qingya immediately looked in the direction the darts had come from.

He saw a man standing on the roof nearby, wearing a bamboo hat.

The man was dressed in black, tall and imposing, with his face hidden by the hat. Yet, Xie Qingya instinctively knew this person could not have been sent by Cao Da.

A sudden thought crossed his mind.

Then, more plum blossom darts flew towards him.

From the way the plum blossom darts were thrown, it was clear they were meant to kill Quan Fangtong. Xie Qingya already knew who the attacker was and instinctively reached out to grab Quan Fangtong.

But Quan Fangtong, that spineless coward, had already screamed and scrambled back at the sight of the plum blossom darts, bolting in panic.

Xie Qingya's hand closed on empty air.

"Damn it," Xie Qingya muttered under his breath.

By the time he tried to grab Quan Fangtong again, it was too late. More plum blossom darts came flying from behind.

One dart struck Quan Fangtong's neck.

Xie Qingya barely had time to see the man collapse, eyes wide, before he sensed two more darts hurtling toward him. He dodged one, but the other slammed into his left shoulder.

The attacker's skill was formidable, and Xie Qingya staggered forward two steps, grunting in pain.

Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Xie Qingya turned to look in the direction of the black-clad man. Clenching his teeth, he yanked the plum blossom dart from his shoulder and, with his sword in hand, lunged toward the man.

But the black-clad man didn't stick around for the fight.

Seeing Quan Fangtong dead, he leaped away in an instant.

"Stop!" Xie Qingya roared, watching the man leap across the rooftops. He gritted his teeth and gave chase.

At this moment, he no longer cared about his injuries or the blood streaming down his shoulder.

His mind was consumed by one thought: catch him!

Catch him!

He had to know who this man really was!

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Did you set that fire?"

"Have you no shame before my father?"

Xie Qingya saw the man's steps falter momentarily after his words.

But instead of feeling any satisfaction at this hint of the truth, Xie Qingya only grew more furious.

His rage blazed like wildfire.

The unsheathed sword in his hand slashed toward the man with all his strength.

This strike carried the full weight of Xie Qingya's strength, fueled by years of accumulated hatred. Without that, his injured arm would never have been able to lift the sword.

The blade struck the man's shoulder, but it also drained Xie Qingya of all his remaining strength.

Staggering, Xie Qingya collapsed forward onto the rooftop.

As he watched the man pull the sword from his shoulder and flee, wounded, Xie Qingya's eyes turned blood-red, and he roared, "Stop!"

"Stop right there!"

But the man ignored him and vanished from view.

Instead, a voice called out from behind.

"Boss, Quan Fangtong's corpse is here!"

"Boss, there's a sound ahead!"

"After them!"

...

Xie Qingya knew that if the Imperial Guards caught him now, he would be branded as Quan Fangtong's murderer!

Chai Shou couldn't possibly let him go in front of so many people either.

Clutching his injured shoulder, Xie Qingya gritted his teeth, picked up the sword, sheathed it, and forced himself to keep running.

He needed to find a hiding spot to evade his pursuers.

But fate had other plans.

Just then, he heard the clatter of hooves ahead.

Xie Qingya ignored it at first.

Blood loss had left him lightheaded. He pushed himself to run farther and find cover, but then he saw Shiyu at the reins!

Then he noticed someone lifting the carriage curtain, peering out with concern.

At first, Xie Qingya thought the familiar face was a hallucination from blood loss, until their eyes locked, and a familiar voice called out—

"Qing Ya!"

Only then did Xie Qingya realize it was real.

He didn't know why she was here, but instinct drove him to leap forward.

Xu Duanyi had already halted the carriage, and the curtain was drawn.

Gazing at her familiar, worried face, Xie Qingya, wounded and weary, stumbled into the carriage.

A familiar scent filled Xie Qingya's nostrils.

His arms were supported by her hands, and he could hear her worried voice: "Qing Ya, are you okay?"

Kneeling on one knee, he looked up at her.

"I thought I was dreaming just now," he said weakly, smiling at her first, wanting to reach out and touch her face, but then remembering his dirty hands, he frowned and simply pressed his forehead against her shoulder, leaning over without extending his hand.