"Do you think I should tie you up and hand you over to Dongfang Wei?" Nangong Yu asked Yu Qianmo, who was looking smug.
"You wouldn't dare," Yu Qianmo said, lying back on the couch. His androgynous, peerless beauty was full of pride. "If you dare to hand me over, I'll tell Dongfang Wei that you told me to snatch the Phoenix Pearl, and that I've already given it to you!"
Nangong Yu smiled, the corners of his lips curling into a faint arc. "Has anyone ever told you not to court death? Especially not to court death in front of this Pavilion Master?"
Before Yu Qianmo could react, Nangong Yu kicked him to the ground.
Yu Qianmo tried to fight back, but as soon as he got up, Nangong Yu kicked him in the back, sending him sprawling on the ground again. Then, a barrage of kicks rained down on his face and body, leaving him seeing stars. He cowered in a corner, begging for mercy. Even Wuxiang couldn't bear to watch. Poor thing, he'd been beaten so badly by the Pavilion Master that his own father probably wouldn't recognize him.
Nangong Yu's anger had not subsided. He had gained nothing and ended up in trouble. If he found out who had secretly intercepted the pearl, he would make them understand why the flowers bloomed so red!
Xiao Man played with the Phoenix Pearl in her hand, a faint smile playing on her lips.
She had expected snatching the Phoenix Pearl to be difficult. To her surprise, as soon as she went to get it, she saw some unlucky child snatching the pearl and rushing out in a hurry. Thus, the Phoenix Pearl easily fell into her hands.
"Why did this unlucky child come here?" Xiao Man put away the Phoenix Pearl, a great sense of confusion in her heart.
Yu Qianmo, that brat, was a walking target. Everyone knew he was the Demonic Cult Leader, but no one knew that he came from the Martial Alliance, one of the Four Great Martial Arts Families. The Martial Alliance was the leader of the righteous sects. Who would have thought that the Sect Leader's precious son would be the Demonic Cult Leader?
And Yu Qianmo was like a jinx, trouble followed him wherever he went. The first time she met this brat, she was framed by him and almost killed by pursuers. To think that after being reborn, this brat had appeared again!
Xiao Man firmly believed in cherishing her life and staying away from Yu Qianmo.
Especially now that her identity was sensitive and the mansion was full of danger. If Yu Qianmo were to mess with her at such a crucial moment, she would at least lose half her life, even if she didn't die. Therefore, Xiao Man decisively framed Yu Qianmo, took the Phoenix Pearl, and blamed the Heavenly Secret Pavilion!
There was no disturbance throughout the night. Xiao Man slept until the sun was high in the sky before getting up. Qiutong served her as she changed and washed. "Miss, Aunt Lin went to Madam's courtyard last night."
Xiao Man ate her porridge indifferently. In this mansion, among the concubines and young ladies, except for the Second Young Lady and the Third Aunt, who were now under her control, everyone else wished she would suddenly die an accidental death. Even Xiao Xiang and the others probably wished she were dead.
"What is Xiao Xiang doing?"
"The Second Young Lady is in her own courtyard and has not come out."
Xiao Man curved her lips. "If I don't go out, how will they find an opportunity?"
"Miss..." Qiutong looked at Xiao Man with confusion. Was she planning to go out and become a target?
"Eldest Young Lady, Miss Chu is here." As soon as the steward's voice rang out, Xiao Man's bedroom door was kicked open. Before the door had even stopped shaking, a purple figure had already rushed in front of her.
"Sister Xiao, I've come to see you. Look, I even brought you a hen to nourish your body. Her name is Xiao Hei."
Xiao Man looked at the hen in Chu Qingge's hand. The hen also glared at Xiao Man with its eyes. After a moment, it disdainfully looked away. Xiao Man's lips twitched. "To nourish my body?"
"Yes, I fed it myself!" Chu Qingge handed the hen to Qiutong. Seeing that Xiao Man was still eating breakfast, she reached out and took a piece of pastry, stuffing it into her mouth. "You're only getting up now. You're getting lazier and lazier."
"I'm an injured patient."
"Don't try to fool me. Do you think I don't know if you're injured or not?" Chu Qingge licked the crumbs from her fingers. "My mother finally let me out. Let's go out and play."
"Doesn't your mother restrict you from embroidering?"
"Don't mention embroidery. My fingers are about to be ruined." Speaking of embroidery, Chu Qingge let out a sigh of woe. "I'd rather get married than embroider again. That's not something a human can do. Oh right, I asked you to put in a good word for me. What did your father say?"
Xiao Man's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, she had forgotten about that. "I forgot."
"You forgot!" Chu Qingge raised her voice, grabbed Xiao Man by the neck, and shook her violently. "How could you forget something so important!"
Xiao Man's eyes rolled back from being choked. She patted Chu Qingge's hand. "It's hard to approach my father. Approach my brother instead!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Qingge immediately let go. "How do I approach your brother?"
"I miss my brother. I want to go to Yunzhong City to see my brother. Do you want to come with me?" Xiao Man asked, lowering her voice and enticingly.
"Go to Yunzhong City?" A glint flashed in Chu Qingge's eyes. Su Dan Novel Network
Go!
Why wouldn't she go? If she didn't, her mother would force her to marry. "When do we leave?"
"Going out always requires preparation. It will take half a month at most. Once I handle the affairs in the mansion, I'll inform you, and we'll go to Yunzhong City together!" Xiao Man said mysteriously.
"Really?"
"If I lie, I'm a dog!" Xiao Man extended her finger and hooked it with Chu Qingge's. "Whether you can stay in Yunzhong City then will depend on your own ability."
"It's settled then. I'll go back and prepare immediately." Chu Qingge arrived like a whirlwind and left just as quickly, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Qiutong clicked her tongue. "Miss Chu is as always, coming and going in a hurry."
"That's just her personality. She's always been like this." Xiao Man picked up a book from a nearby bookshelf and began to read it carefully.
The afternoon sun streamed through the window lattice, warm and yet sleep-inducing.
"Is the Eldest Young Lady in?" Aunt Lin asked softly at the door.
After staying at Ziyun Nunnery for some time, Aunt Lin had lost weight but gained more charm. She exuded a delicate and fragile aura that evoked pity, even in women, let alone men.
It was a pity that Xiao Zhen was not in the mansion, otherwise, he would have held her in his arms and doted on her.
Yinzhu was displeased but showed no outward signs. "The Eldest Young Lady is napping. Is there something Aunt Lin needs?"
Aunt Lin smiled gently. "My fourth daughter and I went to Ziyun Nunnery to pray for the Eldest Young Lady. We personally copied a few volumes of Buddhist scriptures and also prayed for a peace charm for the Eldest Young Lady. Although it's not as effective as Zen Master Wuyou's peace charm, it's better than nothing. Therefore, I've brought it for the Eldest Young Lady."
Yinzhu was sharp-witted. The reason the concubines in the mansion went to the nunnery to pray for blessings, ostensibly on the General's orders, was actually because the young lady had been punished and driven out. If this were to spread, it would damage the young lady's reputation. Just as the young lady's unfortunate reputation had begun to improve, the people in the mansion were eager to trample her down again.