Chapter 100: Little Fish Is Killed, Hu and Qin's Conflict Escalates

"Ah!"

A flash of cold, grim killing intent flickered in Hu Hanzhi’s eyes. Glaring hatefully at Qin Daofei, he snapped, "Qin Daofei, there is no settling the score for today!"

With that, Hu Hanzhi launched an attack at Qin Daofei.

Qin Daofei was slightly taken aback at first, but he quickly regained his composure. He blocked the strike with his hand and said calmly, "Wait, I need to investigate this. I gave secret orders that no one was to harm Little Yu'er."

"Is the Heavenly Pavilion of your Xiaoyao Villa a place that just anyone can enter? Your people killed mine, and you still want to 'investigate'? Are you saying that the reputation of the Xiaoyao Villa as the 'All-Knowing of the World' is just a hollow name?" Hu Hanzhi barked back, immediately launching another assault and giving Qin Daofei no room to breathe.

Qin Daofei narrowed his eyes, sensing that something was wrong. However, Hu Hanzhi’s martial arts were formidable, and he could not afford to think while fending him off.

Just as his concentration wavered for a split second, Hu Hanzhi pulled a dagger from his sleeve and thrust it directly toward Qin Daofei’s throat.

In that split second, a figure lunged forward, shoving Qin Daofei aside. She then braced herself against Hu Hanzhi’s blade, closing her eyes tightly.

It was Linglong!

Hu Hanzhi had intended his strike for Qin Daofei’s throat, but it was now aimed directly at Linglong’s eyes.

Just as the tip of the blade was a mere grain of rice away from her eyes, Hu Hanzhi suddenly stopped. Qin Daofei, having recovered, lunged forward and pulled Linglong into a tight embrace, shouting, "Who gave you permission to do something so dangerous?"

"I... my mind just went blank. I was wrong. I won't do it again," Linglong stammered, clearly shaken. She apologized and promised not to repeat it, but in truth, whenever a crisis arose, she would always act without regard for her own life.

Qin Daofei held her tightly, as if she were a long-lost treasure. Linglong could feel him trembling.

"He killed Little Yu'er!" Hu Hanzhi’s voice reached Linglong’s ears. She shuddered, subconsciously pushing Qin Daofei away. Standing before him to face Hu Hanzhi, she said, "I know, but..."

Hu Hanzhi refused to listen. He pointed his dagger at her and shouted, "He killed the person who tried so hard to save your life, yet you are so calm in defending him. Do you think you’ve done right by Little Yu'er?"

"This has nothing to do with Linglong. What right do you have to make her bear all of this?" Qin Daofei said coldly.

Linglong walked over to Little Yu'er’s body. She knelt down gently, as if afraid to wake him, and unwrapped him from the black cloth.

Little Yu'er’s death was gruesome. It was consistent with the methods of the Xiaoyao Villa: a single, lethal slash across the throat.

Linglong looked up and said quietly to Qin Daofei, "Make the one who killed Little Yu'er come out and explain!"

Qin Daofei gazed toward the Heavenly Pavilion and commanded, "Whoever did this, step forward!"

There was no movement. None at all.

"Do I need to repeat myself?" Qin Daofei said chillingly.

Just then, a man in black flew out from the top of the Heavenly Pavilion. He appeared to be in his forties. Having spent so long in the depths of the Pavilion away from the sun, his skin was unnaturally pale, and he carried an eerie, deathly aura.

He stood before Qin Daofei like a ghost, saying nothing.

"I gave orders that no one was to touch Little Yu'er. Why did you kill him?" Qin Daofei asked.

The man knelt on one knee and replied coldly, "He was killing people within the Xiaoyao Villa. He deserved to die!"

"Whether he deserved to die or not, you had no right to act on your own!" Qin Daofei’s eyes were cold, filled with a deep, dark killing intent.

The man looked up, his expressionless eyes meeting Qin Daofei’s. "I did not act on my own. The Old Madam holds the late Master’s will, and I am merely following the orders of the Old Master."

"Enough! You people of Xiaoyao Villa are truly shameless, all of you double-dealing hypocrites. Qin Daofei, I thought you were an upright gentleman, but I see now that you are a petty man. Why bother staging this act with him to make us believe you didn't want to kill Little Yu'er? In truth, you are the one who killed him," Hu Hanzhi sneered at Qin Daofei.

Qin Daofei shot a cold glance at Hu Hanzhi and looked at Linglong. "Linglong, I didn't do it!"

Linglong did not reply. In truth, she didn't know how to respond. After all, Little Yu'er had been killed by someone from the Xiaoyao Villa and thrown down from the Heavenly Pavilion. If not for Qin Daofei’s tacit approval, would those in the Pavilion have dared to act so boldly?

Yet... Qin Daofei had no reason to kill Little Yu'er for the sake of a mere maid. He was not an impulsive or foolish man.

Linglong’s mind raced, unsure of what to think.

"If you don't give me an explanation today, don't blame me for being heartless!" Hu Hanzhi didn't look at Linglong, only coldly at Qin Daofei.

Qin Daofei was at a loss; he could not explain himself. Both men looked at Linglong, waiting for her stance. Unsure of what to do, she took a step back and said quietly, "Let me think..."

"Feng Linglong, I misjudged you!" With that, Hu Hanzhi attacked Qin Daofei once more.

As he parried, Qin Daofei said, "Hu Hanzhi, why must you keep pushing Linglong? There are many suspicious points in this matter."

"Are you saying this man is a traitor to your Xiaoyao Villa?" Hu Hanzhi’s dagger grazed Qin Daofei’s robes time and again.

Qin Daofei did not use his full strength; after all, the killer was indeed a man of his villa, an elder guarding the Heavenly Pavilion. He felt passive and helpless, forced to defend himself while trying to find a way to investigate, for the entire situation was far too abnormal.

"Hu Hanzhi, stop being so overbearing! The deceased was your follower, yes, but he was the one who started killing people in the Xiaoyao Villa. Even if he had to pay with his life, it is not an unreasonable demand..."

Hu Hanzhi interrupted him with a cold laugh. "Linglong, do you see this man clearly now? He tells you he wants to spare Little Yu'er, yet he thinks the boy deserved to die. He deceives you like this; what is there left to cling to?"

"You’re courting death!" Qin Daofei, angered by Hu Hanzhi’s distortion of the truth to pressure Linglong, lost his restraint.

The two fought fiercely. Linglong sat to the side, holding Little Yu'er’s cold hands, as if the others were not there. She knew that Little Yu'er was at fault in this matter. She had her own biases; she didn't want him killed by the Villa, yet she knew that whatever happened to him, he had brought it upon himself. But had Qin Daofei really lied to her?

Linglong did not know.

"Hu Hanzhi, you keep saying you love Linglong, yet you keep pressuring her. Her body cannot handle this strain. What is your true motive?" Qin Daofei, seeing Linglong’s confusion, felt a pang of heartache and tried to use this to calm Hu Hanzhi down.

But Hu Hanzhi sneered, "Qin Daofei, it is precisely because I care for Linglong that I want her to see your true colors. Is a person like you even worth her love?"

"You’re dead!" Qin Daofei finally unleashed his full power. He drew a soft sword from his waist and pointed it coldly at Hu Hanzhi. "Since these are matters of the Jianghu, we shall settle them in the Jianghu way. Let us fight to the death."

"Both of you, stop!" Linglong stood up, looking at them both coldly.

Qin Daofei and Hu Hanzhi turned to look at her, unsure of her intent, and could only watch her.

Linglong walked over, pushed aside Qin Daofei’s sword with a wave of her hand, and placed her own body directly in front of Hu Hanzhi’s dagger. "I am responsible for Little Yu'er’s death. Hanzhi, I will give you an account!"

With that, she reached for the dagger on her hairpin.

Qin Daofei slapped her hand away and shouted, "Are you insane?"

"You are forcing me!" Hu Hanzhi said simultaneously.

Linglong gave a bitter, sorrowful laugh. "When Little Yu'er came to find me, I should have known. The boy is too burdened in his heart; he was bound to lash out. I should have taken him away and not let him act in the Xiaoyao Villa. It was my failure to discipline him that caused all of this. I will pay for the maid’s life and for Little Yu'er’s life. Isn't this what you wanted—someone to pay the price? Are you satisfied now?"

Qin Daofei and Hu Hanzhi remained silent.

Qin Daofei grabbed Linglong’s hand, refusing to let her do anything reckless.

"Feng Linglong, you have disappointed me greatly!" With that, Hu Hanzhi picked up Little Yu'er’s body and flew away.

Linglong collapsed to the ground. As Qin Daofei reached out to help her, she snatched the soft sword from his hand and lunged at the man in black who stood quietly nearby.

The man’s eyes turned cold, and he prepared to strike back. Seeing this, Qin Daofei pulled Linglong away and struck the man’s shoulder with a palm. The man retreated several paces and looked coldly at Qin Daofei. "The Villa Master truly knows how to chill the hearts of his elders."

"I am more curious as to why you left the Heavenly Pavilion to hunt down a child," Qin Daofei said coldly.

The man hesitated for a moment before sneering, "I was out on business and happened to encounter him, so I dealt with him. Does the Villa Master also think, like that brat, that I am a traitor?"

"Whether you are a traitor is a matter for later. But why did you openly attack the mistress of the Xiaoyao Villa?" Qin Daofei asked, eyeing the sword in the man’s hand.

The man was taken aback again. "She tried to kill me. I was merely defending myself!"

"Men, take him to the water dungeon in the Heavenly Pavilion. Without my orders, no one is to visit him!" As soon as Qin Daofei finished speaking, two figures in black descended, seized the man, and hauled him back to the Pavilion.

Qin Daofei turned back to look at Linglong, not knowing how to speak.

Linglong said nothing either. She dropped the sword to the ground and turned to walk toward Linglong Pavilion.

Qin Daofei watched her go, standing in silence for a long time.

After returning to Linglong Pavilion, Linglong sat alone at the table. After a long while, she looked up and asked, "Aifei, are you back?"

...

The silence from the rafters confirmed that Aifei was not there.

Linglong curled up, staring into the distance. Her mind and heart were completely empty. She desperately wanted to make sense of things, but everything was in such disarray that she did not know where to begin.

In the study, Tang Li and Jifeng stood before the desk, gazing at Qin Daofei.

"What do you think?" Qin Daofei asked them.

Jifeng looked at Tang Li, and Tang Li looked at Jifeng. Finally, Jifeng gritted his teeth and said, "We must find Aifei. She must know something."

"Exactly. She stopped us from chasing Little Yu'er, and then we left. With her skills, she could certainly have caught up to him and ensured his safe escape from the capital," Tang Li added.

"Don't you find it strange? The elders of the Heavenly Pavilion never concern themselves with the mundane affairs of the Xiaoyao Villa. They only guard the Pavilion, turning it into an impenetrable fortress. Even if an elder were out on business, it is impossible that he would simply kill Little Yu'er in passing. This elder must have a problem!" Qin Daofei said grimly.

Tang Li looked at him, astonished. "Does the Villa Master mean to say that he really might have defected?"

Hearing this, Jifeng and Qin Daofei looked at him, and all fell into silence.