Chu Feixue was also stunned.
Chu Qianli had been a fool since childhood, failing at everything from martial arts to music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
She couldn't compare to Chu Huaiyu in academics, nor to herself in martial arts.
But why was that palm strike so... powerful?
"Heh, it seems I need to find someone to spar with to know just how strong I've become."
Chu Qianli took a step towards Chu Feixue.
Chu Feixue had finally managed to get up, thinking that she must have just been careless earlier, which allowed Chu Qianli to gain an advantage.
This time, she gathered all her strength and steadily struck Chu Qianli with a palm.
Chu Qianli felt a bit worried. Chu Feixue was considered the most skilled among the younger generation of their Chu family.
Therefore, Chu Qianli carefully responded to Chu Feixue's palm strike.
With a whoosh, she met the palm with almost all her internal energy.
"Pfft!" Chu Feixue's eyes widened, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.
Her body was sent flying, this time directly into the distant lake.
With a splash, she was almost knocked unconscious.
Surrounded by lake water, she was instantly submerged.
She didn't even have a chance to call for help.
Chu Qianli walked to the edge of the lake, watching Chu Feixue slowly sink, her heart filled with confusion that slowly dissipated.
It was the person who had held her hand and channeled internal energy into her just before dawn.
Feng Yexuan.
Chu Qianli never dreamed that Feng Yexuan would give her so much internal energy. How much would that have damaged his own vitality?
But his internal energy was too powerful and domineering. When they left together that morning, she hadn't noticed that he was already severely weakened.
Was it because of the assassination attempt by the royal assassins last night?
Was this internal energy meant to protect her?
After all, no one could protect her personally twenty-four hours a day. The only one who could protect her was herself.
Chu Qianli was so engrossed in her thoughts that she only reacted when Chu Feixue had already sunk to the bottom of the lake.
Just as she was about to go and rescue her, a figure in dark gray leaped from a distance and, with a splash, landed in the lake.
Chu Feixue was rescued and coughed up a lot of water.
Afterward, she hid behind Han Zhan, trembling, and looked at Chu Qianli as if she had seen a ghost.
"Chu Qianli, you've gone too far!" Han Zhan couldn't believe Chu Qianli could be so malicious!
If he hadn't arrived in time, Chu Feixue would have drowned.
Chu Qianli simply glanced at him.
She had intended to go and rescue her, but misunderstandings were fine. She had never lacked misunderstandings directed at her.
She didn't care.
"The one who provokes first is the one who suffers. Make her control herself!"
She didn't have time to play with them.
Chu Qianli looked down at her hands and turned to leave.
Chu Feixue, having finally caught her breath, immediately grabbed Han Zhan and burst into tears, "She's too terrifying, too much! Han Zhan, you must stand up for me, you..."
"Did you provoke her first?" Han Zhan knew Chu Feixue fairly well.
Chu Feixue wanted to deny it, but she knew her denial would be useless in front of Han Zhan.
She said angrily, "But she can't possibly want to kill me! I'm her own sister!"
Han Zhan said nothing and helped her up.
"If Miss Six has nothing else, I shall take my leave."
His duty was only to guard the household; he had no obligation to appease her.
Chu Feixue glared at him, displeased, "I'm in this state, and you have no sympathy at all?"
Han Zhan didn't look at her further.
The one who provokes first suffers.
"You can ignore me, but can you ignore Huaiyu too?"
Chu Feixue was simply unwilling. Why couldn't he be harsher towards Chu Qianli?
Chu Qianli was trying to kill someone. As the head of the household's guards, shouldn't he apprehend Chu Qianli and punish her severely?
His heart was clearly biased towards that bitch Chu Qianli!
Then, what about Chu Huaiyu?
Did this Han Zhan like Chu Huaiyu or Chu Qianli?
Han Zhan paused and looked back at her, "What does Huaiyu have to do with this?"
"Her martial arts have suddenly become so good, do you think she'll go looking for trouble with Huaiyu?"
...
Chu Qianli did indeed go to find Chu Huaiyu, but not because her martial arts had improved...
The death of Qian'er was full of suspicious details.
The scissors had penetrated so deeply, even the handle, that it was impossible for a weak and delicate girl to do that.
What other secrets was Chu Huaiyu hiding?
At this moment, Chu Huaiyu was holding ginseng tea, preparing to personally deliver it to her grandfather.
When Chu Qianli approached, the sudden palm wind that came at her made her expression change.
Her fingertips tensed in an instant.
Chu Qianli's heart trembled.
She seemed to sense something!
But just as that force was about to surge out, Chu Huaiyu suddenly cried out, and her soft body directly collided with Chu Qianli's palm.
Chu Huaiyu was sent flying by the force of the palm and, with a splash, fell into the lake.
"Miss!" Xiao Ya cried out in alarm.
Chu Qianli, however, grabbed her and asked angrily, "How did you kill Qian'er that night? Speak!"
"It was her, she poisoned her, she wanted to kill Miss, that's why we fought back!"
"So, you killed her?"
"I, I didn't mean to! She was going to pounce on me, I couldn't just not resist. I... I just pricked her lightly. How was I supposed to know she'd really die like that?"
Xiao Ya struggled desperately. Seeing her young lady still flailing in the water not far away, she panicked.
"Help, help..."
"How could you have just pricked her lightly? You stabbed her to death!"
Chu Qianli tightened her five fingers, and Xiao Ya immediately struggled to breathe.
Chu Qianli suddenly produced a short knife, pressing the blade against Xiao Ya's neck.
"Will you tell me the truth or not? If you don't, I'll kill you with one stroke!"
"It's true, it's true. I just pricked her lightly, and then I accidentally hit the back of my head. I... I fainted. I didn't know she was so fragile... Ah! Ahhh! I'm not lying, ah!"
Chu Qianli twisted her wrist, pressing the blade against Xiao Ya's neck.
Xiao Ya felt a sharp pain on her neck, as if blood was sliding down.
She was so scared that her body went limp, and she almost fainted.
"Really, really, I... Ahhh! Don't kill me, I'm not lying, I'm not!"
Chu Qianli pressed down again.
"Ah..." Xiao Ya's vision went black from fear, and she immediately fainted.
Chu Qianli's long fingers landed on the maid's pulse point and pressed lightly.
This maid had truly fainted, not faking it.
She tossed Xiao Ya aside and turned to look at Chu Huaiyu, who was still struggling and calling for help on the lake surface.
She had been calling for help for so long and hadn't sunk yet. She was really holding on for too long.
However, as soon as this thought flashed through her mind, after calling out "Help!" one last time, Chu Huaiyu finally began to sink slowly.