Murong Shengrui looked towards the direction from which the poisoned needle came, and saw Xiao Man sitting on a tree branch, raising her bamboo arrow and smiling.
"A'man, you can't bear to let me go?"
Xiao Man waved her hand, and several figures behind her rushed out, not towards Murong Shengrui, but towards Wei Wuji.
Although Wei Wuji's martial arts were good, he couldn't withstand the overwhelming numbers and soon fell into a disadvantage. Duguming Yu and Yan Yuqing also attacked fiercely; most of Wei Wuji's wounds were inflicted by these two!
"Young Master, you should leave first."
Murong Shengrui glanced at Xiao Man, who sat on the tree branch unmoving, and immediately turned, disappearing into the darkness. Duguming Yu and the others did not pursue. If Wei Wuji's life could be taken today, the mission would be considered complete.
A figure floated down to Xiao Man's tree branch: "You're letting Murong Shengrui go?"
"Yes, letting him go is more interesting." Xiao Man played with the bamboo arrow in her hand, "He always enjoys the game of cat and mouse, so I naturally have to play with him properly."
"What's special about your hidden weapon?" Nangong Yu's gaze fell on the bamboo arrow in Xiao Man's hand. If it weren't for its trickery, Xiao Man wouldn't have bothered to ambush Murong Shengrui.
"This, it's a good thing." Xiao Man raised the bamboo arrow in her hand, "The silver needle is coated with a poison called Yan Meng."
"Judging by the name, it must be something extraordinary." Nangong Yu chuckled, "What are its effects?"
"Yan Meng is and isn't a poison. It makes people unable to distinguish between reality and illusion, but it can cause nervous breakdown and lead to madness. It also has a characteristic similar to illusions: if you are injured in Yan Meng, you will also be injured in reality." Xiao Man winked playfully, "It was Cen Yu who reminded me that illusions can be used to kill people without a trace!"
"It is indeed an extraordinary good thing." Nangong Yu sat down next to her, "It seems we don't need to pursue him."
"Taking this man's life will be a significant blow to Murong Shengrui." Xiao Man looked at the wounded Wei Wuji, her smile deepening. She remembered how Wei Wuji used to follow Murong Shengrui, not even daring to look her in the eye, always so timid. Who would have thought that such a person would cause her so much hardship.
"I suddenly want to live." Xiao Man said softly.
Nangong Yu's figure moved, and he joined the fray. Wei Wuji, already struggling to cope, was quickly captured due to Nangong Yu's intervention.
Xiao Man leaped down from the tree and walked in front of Wei Wuji. Looking at the defiant Wei Wuji before her, she felt a pang of confusion; such defiance shouldn't be in his eyes.
Xiao Man reached out her hand towards Wei Wuji. Wei Wuji frowned tightly, "What do you want to do?"
Xiao Man carefully felt around Wei Wuji's face. After a moment, she tore a human skin mask off his face.
"It's not Wei Wuji."
"Ke Lingfeng." Xiao Man looked at the face before her, a smile curving her lips, "Did you receive Qiu Ziqiu's body?"
"So you killed Qiu Ziqiu." Ke Lingfeng said calmly, "Is it my turn now?"
"Murong Shengrui has four reading companions and four eunuchs. The four reading companions are led by Qu Yang, and the four eunuchs are led by Wei Wuji. Wei Wuji asked you to impersonate him and accompany the Emperor, so you must have known that I wanted to kill him."
"Everyone must die one day, either lightly as a feather or heavily as Mount Tai." Ke Lingfeng said righteously, "To die for His Majesty is a worthy death."
"Turn him into a human swine and send him to Murong Shengrui, keeping his eyes." Xiao Man turned and left, "I'll leave you one pair of eyes, so you can watch me kill them all and destroy Yun Qi's empire."
"With you, a mere woman?"
Xiao Man smiled indifferently, "So what if I'm a woman? Didn't I, in my female body, turn the tide and support Murong Shengrui to ascend the throne, deterring the other three kingdoms and making everyone fear Yun Qi? Now, I can also turn Yun Qi upside down!"
Nangong Yu quietly followed behind Xiao Man. It was not safe outside the city, and he dared not let Xiao Man return alone. He left Si Chen to clean up, while Duguming Yu took Ke Lingfeng away.
The two entered the city one after another, walking on the midnight streets. The streets were deserted. As they turned a corner, a couple selling wontons were packing up their stall.
Xiao Man stopped at the wonton stall, "Uncle Wonton, can you cook us a bowl of wontons?"
Uncle Wonton looked up and peered closely, "Isn't this the young lady? Why are you still out on such a cold night?"
As he spoke, he asked his wife to set out a table and invited them to sit down. He then lit the stove, prepared to cook the wontons, and brought out a pot of his homemade fruit wine, warmed in hot water.
"It's cold, have a cup of fruit wine to warm you up first." Uncle Wonton put down the wine and then checked the pot, "I heard you haven't been feeling well lately. Why are you running around so late at night? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"
"I was just craving your wontons, so I ran out. Luckily, you haven't left yet."
"If you had come any later, my wife and I would have gone home." Uncle Wonton smiled, "Next time you want to eat, just send someone to tell me, and I'll have it delivered to your manor. It's so cold and late, it's not safe for a young lady. Or you can come during the day."
"Alright, I'll remember. I'll come during the day next time."
Nangong Yu listened to Uncle Wonton chattering at Xiao Man like he was his own child, his eyes overflowing with tenderness, "It seems you come here often to eat wontons."
"Yes, their wontons are the best in the Imperial Capital. Nangong Yi and I used to come here often to eat." Xiao Man poured Nangong Yu a cup of wine, "This is the fruit wine the uncle brewed himself. It's not intoxicating."
Nangong Yu drank a cup. The sweet and sour taste was not to his liking, but Xiao Man enjoyed it immensely, drinking several cups in a row.
"The wontons are ready, eat them while they're hot."
"Thank you, Uncle." Xiao Man picked up a spoon, handed one to Nangong Yu, and carefully scooped up a wonton, blowing on it to cool it before putting it into her mouth, her face filled with satisfaction, "It still tastes the same as before, not changed at all."
"This is our family's ancestral craft. You won't find this taste anywhere else." Uncle Wonton scratched his head and smiled shyly, "You two eat quickly and head back. I'm still a bit worried. How about this, wait for me to pack up my stall, and my wife and I will escort you home."