"Miss Jian, rest assured, no matter what, I will apprehend the murderer!"
"Xing'er thanks Lord Lin in advance!"
After the tearful Jian Xing departed, Lin Qingge, gazing at her retreating figure, fell into deep thought.
Seeing this, Lu Mingxuan, who was somewhat aware of his lord's disposition, couldn't help but ask,
"My lord, is Jian Xing also suspicious?"
"Long Xiaotian and Feng Wuying were both martial arts experts. It's impossible they wouldn't have noticed a child hidden in the room. Yet, Jian Xing spoke so convincingly, as if she had witnessed it herself. There must be something she hasn't disclosed, or is deliberately concealing.
Furthermore, Long Xiaotian's four disciples are all exceptionally gifted. Why would he take on another female disciple? Especially one of ordinary aptitude?
Go investigate."
"Yes, my lord!"
Lu Mingxuan took his leave, and Lin Qingge continued walking back alone. Suddenly, a gust of sinister wind blew past, and her heart tightened, her hair standing on end.
The sensation was fleeting, yet overwhelmingly intense.
It was as if she were being stared at by a venomous snake lurking in the shadows…
"Who's there?!"
Lin Qingge scanned her surroundings vigilantly. Apart from the rustling of leaves in the wind, there was nothing else.
Feeling something was amiss, Lin Qingge quickened her pace.
After she had walked away, a dark shadow appeared where she had been standing.
The next moment, several leaves accompanied by a whistling sound attacked from a distance, but the shadow skillfully dodged them all.
"Oh my~
Such potent killing intent~
I'm so scared~
So scared that my whole body is trembling~"
Observing the perverted, enraptured expression on the dark shadow's face under the moonlight, the attacker spoke coldly:
"It is you indeed!"
"Little Lingling, are you so reluctant to part with me that you've fallen in love?
No, here you should be called Little Yueyue~
Little Yueyue, it's been so long, I've missed you to the point of madness~"
"You are as disgusting as ever."
"Tsk, tsk, even if it's you, Little Yueyue, saying such things to me will hurt my feelings~
When I'm sad, I feel like killing a few people to vent. Little Yueyue, who do you think I should kill?
That little child named Lin Zimo, or that sickly person named Lin Jingxing?"
"You're courting death!"
With that, the figure beneath the shade of the trees exploded forward.
A cold glint flashed, heading straight for the dark shadow's vital points.
The dark shadow, while dodging, spoke obnoxiously,
"Yo, getting impatient already? This isn't like your usual calm and collected style, Little Yueyue~"
As soon as he finished speaking, the dark shadow, unable to dodge completely, was struck on the left shoulder.
The sharp dagger pierced the flesh and then flicked upwards, carving a long bloody gash. Blood flowed down the arm, but the dark shadow seemed to revel in the sensation.
"Ah, this is the feeling. Only you, Little Yueyue, can make me tremble like this, make me feel as though I'm on the verge of ecstasy and death~"
As if disgusted, this time the glinting dagger aimed directly for the dark shadow's neck.
The injured dark shadow stumbled to the ground while dodging. Just as the dagger was about to pierce its neck, two figures suddenly darted out from the side, rescuing the dark shadow.
As the dagger relentlessly continued its assault on the dark shadow, the two figures who emerged threw smoke bombs.
Instantly, white smoke billowed everywhere.
"Although I'm happy to see you again, Little Yueyue, I honestly didn't intend to reveal myself to you so soon.
But don't be too disappointed, Little Yueyue, we'll be meeting again soon~
Also, while this manor business was quite interesting, I didn't get involved~"
As the chilling words faded, the white smoke dispersed. However, apart from the bloodstains dripping on the ground, the three of them had long vanished.
On the other side.
Returning to the courtyard, Lin Qingge saw Lin Zimo diligently copying calligraphy alone in the room and asked in surprise, "Where is your mother?"
"Mother said she was going to the kitchen to get some food for you, Father, as a late-night snack."
"Oh."
Lin Qingge nodded. After she went to the privy to change her menstrual pad and returned, Leng Ningyue had already placed the steaming food on the table.
"It's getting late, and overly greasy food is hard to digest. I asked Xiao Cao to cook a red date and lotus seed congee. Have some before you rest."
"Mother, Mo'er's hand is sore from writing calligraphy. Can Mo'er also have a bowl as a reward?"
Leng Ningyue considered for a moment, then pushed the plate of lightly pickled cucumbers towards Lin Zimo.
Lin Zimo: …
Lin Qingge picked up the bowl of congee and took a sip. The sweet flavor spread through her mouth. Amidst the comfort, her peripheral vision caught sight of faint red plum blossoms on Leng Ningyue's sleeve, and she asked in surprise,
"Madam, your sleeve…"
"Oh, it must have gotten stained while shooting pigeons."
Leng Ningyue replied calmly, and then took out a palm-sized note from her sleeve.
"Today, while I was practicing horse stance with Mo'er in the courtyard, I saw a carrier pigeon flying overhead and casually shot it down with a branch. It must have gotten stained then."
Mentioning this, Lin Zimo, forgetting his dejection, nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Father, you don't know, Mother is so amazing! With just a casual wave of her hand with a branch, she brought down a pigeon flying so high in the sky!
Isn't this just like the reclusive masters described in storybooks?"
What Lin Zimo didn't say was that the reason his mother was holding a branch was mainly to correct his posture.
As soon as his horse stance was even slightly off, the branch would fall.
Fortunately, his mother used a very light force, so he barely felt any pain.
Did this mean his mother loved him very, very much?
Feeling that the lightly pickled cucumbers on the plate were now even more appetizing, Lin Zimo immediately began to eat them heartily, also using the excuse of the dish being too salty to stuff a red bean paste bun into his mouth.
Although Lin Qingge found the story of shooting down a pigeon with a branch somewhat exaggerated, she had to admit that it was perfectly plausible for her wife.
She unfolded the note, which read:
[The treasure map fragment, as the owner predicted, has been obtained by Lin Jingxing, Lord Lin.]
There was no signature at the bottom, only a drawing of a small bird with outstretched wings, its chin tilted in an extremely narcissistic manner.
"Flying Bird?
Fei?
Long Xiaotian's third disciple, Liu Chenfei?"
Lin Qingge, instantly associating the narcissistic little bird with Liu Chenfei's image, let out a sneer.
To think that this scoundrel had pretended not to know them earlier, and then acted as if his heart had been captured and he wanted to pursue Leng Ningyue after being defeated by her. Turns out, he was a hidden Oscar-winning actor!
"Although I don't know who the owner mentioned in the letter is, it's clear that person not only knew we were participating in the martial arts tournament but also knew we had the strength to win.
In other words, that person is likely right beside us."
Leng Ningyue pointed at Lin Qingge's furrowed brow. "Thinking about it now won't lead to any conclusions. You should finish eating and go to bed to rest."
Lin Qingge, who was indeed feeling very unwell, obediently went to bed to rest, while Lin Zimo was taken to the adjacent room by Leng Ningyue.
In the middle of the night.
Lin Qingge, sensing something in her sleep, suddenly opened her eyes and met the gaze of a stealthy figure in front of her.
"Big brother, who are you?"