Chapter 102: The Person Hidden Beside Tan Xiyin An extra chapter dedicated to Iron Hammer's mother, who loves Iron Hammer—muah!

Wuying looked at Qin Daofei, who gave a faint nod.

He took Yixiao from Hua’er’s arms, and Hua’er stepped forward, grabbing Linglong’s arm. “My Lady, it was Tan Xiyin and her maid who did this. They tried to get close to Yixiao earlier, but I didn’t allow it. Then, Yixiao soiled my clothes, and in the time it took me to change, Yixiao was poisoned. I am certain the Old Madam would never harm Yixiao, so it must be Tan Xiyin and her maid—there is no one else.”

“That is correct, First Madam. The bead was found right by the Old Madam’s feet, and the Second Madam has been sitting in her wheelchair the entire time, never coming near us. The appearance of the bead and the Old Madam’s subsequent fall—it is easily explained!” Xia He, out of loyalty to Qin Wang Xiangyu, also stepped forward to testify against Tan Xiyin.

Tan Xiyin looked at Qin Daofei with a pitiful expression. “Brother Daofei, do you believe I did this? Even if I were to harm the entire world, I would never hurt your child. It wasn’t me!”

Qin Daofei held Feng Yixiao, looking at Tan Xiyin with a profound, unreadable gaze, saying nothing.

Linglong walked over with a cold sneer, looking Tan Xiyin up and down. Indeed, she noticed a bead dangling from the fabric of Tan Xiyin’s clothes.

“Tan Xiyin, I know your heart is vicious, but you should have come for me directly. You have harmed my child once before; this time, I will absolutely not forgive you!” Linglong said coldly.

Tan Xiyin panicked. She grabbed Linglong’s arm and pleaded, “Feng Linglong, it really wasn’t me! I only want to live a quiet life now. It wasn’t me, I swear it wasn’t me! You must believe me!”

Linglong violently shook off Tan Xiyin’s hand and snapped, “You want me to believe you? Hahahaha! You are truly laughable, Tan Xiyin! I am giving you a chance now—hand over the antidote immediately. Otherwise, when I lose my patience, even Qin Daofei won’t be able to save you.”

Tan Xiyin did not doubt this, as she knew Linglong all too well. If something truly happened, even if Qin Daofei wanted to protect her, given Feng Linglong’s temperament, she would never allow it.

Tan Xiyin panicked. She had prepared everything perfectly; she was so close to victory—there was no reason for her to die here. There must be something that could explain it all! There must be!

Tan Xiyin clutched the armrests of her wheelchair, her mind racing, but she was too distraught. Certain details seemed to be right in front of her, yet she could not grasp them.

Linglong stared coldly at Tan Xiyin. “Tan Xiyin, I’ll count to three!”

One!

Two!

Three!

As Linglong’s words faded, her hand curled into the shape of an eagle’s claw and lunged toward Tan Xiyin’s throat. Tan Xiyin watched helplessly as Linglong’s fingers closed in. She could only gamble that Qin Daofei, for the sake of her brother, might stop Linglong.

But even as Linglong’s fingers brushed her neck, Qin Daofei showed no reaction. He continued to hold Yixiao, looking profoundly pained.

Tan Xiyin closed her eyes in resignation and said coldly, “It’s useless to kill me. If I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it. I have no antidote. Why don’t you think carefully? Which one of us who held the child poisoned her? After all, all four of us held the baby!”

At that very moment, Linglong caught a glimpse of a cold sneer forming on the corner of the maid’s mouth.

Linglong withdrew her hand, stood in Tan Xiyin’s position, and said to Hua’er, “Walk toward me.”

Hua’er didn’t understand, but she obeyed. Linglong plucked a bead from Tan Xiyin’s clothes and flicked it toward Hua’er.

The bead did not roll smoothly across the uneven stone path. Before it reached Hua’er, it veered back toward Linglong’s side because of the slight downward slope of the terrain.

*That’s not right. The bead didn’t travel like that.*

This thought crossed everyone’s mind simultaneously.

Qin Wang Xiangyu shook her head and said, “I didn’t step on the bead; I felt something strike the back of my knee!”

“Old Madam, do you mind if I take a look?” Linglong asked as she approached.

Qin Wang Xiangyu knew Linglong was investigating the child’s matter. Though reluctant, she pulled up her pant leg to show her. Indeed, there was a bruise on the back of her knee the exact size of the bead. Someone must have used internal energy to strike her with the bead, causing her to lose her balance and fall.

“My, my, so you know martial arts as well!” Linglong said coldly.

Hearing this, Tan Xiyin couldn’t help but glance back at her maid. The maid’s eyes turned icy, silently warning Tan Xiyin not to say anything reckless.

Tan Xiyin remained silent. She looked calmly at Linglong and said, “If that’s the case, then it has nothing to do with us. It proves we didn’t harm the child!”

*Heh!* Linglong sneered.

She pointed at the maid beside Tan Xiyin. “Tan Xiyin, I think she is quite suspicious. What do you think?”

In truth, everyone had already seen Tan Xiyin’s subconscious reaction. As Linglong spoke, Tang Li and Wuying, who had rushed over, blocked the maid’s path of retreat.

However, the maid remained calm. She looked at Linglong with innocent, wide eyes. “First Madam, how can you suspect me? If I knew martial arts, would I still be working here? I would have gone off to roam the world long ago.”

“Perhaps you are a wanderer, and only remained by Tan Xiyin’s side out of necessity?” Linglong walked over, circling the maid with interest.

The maid acted timidly, her knees going weak as she knelt before Linglong. “First Madam, you are wronging me! Please, I beg you to investigate this thoroughly!”

“Very well, let us investigate,” Qin Daofei spoke up.

Tang Li and Wuying moved, and as they did, the maid struck back. Her target was Linglong.

Seeing this, Linglong braced her hands on the ground and performed a backflip to evade the attack. Once she landed, she immediately counterattacked, helping Tang Li and the others subdue the maid.

“On what grounds do you say it was me? I did nothing! I was standing opposite the Old Madam—how could I have struck her knee with a bead?” Once captured, the maid refused to give up. She glared at Linglong and demanded an answer.

*Heh!* Linglong said to Hua’er, “Stand still, Hua’er. I’ll demonstrate for her.”

Linglong placed the bead on her finger and flicked it gently. The bead struck the stone floor behind Hua’er with precision, bounced off the stone, and hit the back of Hua’er’s knee. However, because Linglong used less internal energy, the force wasn’t enough to knock Hua’er down; she merely stumbled before regaining her footing.

“That is a martial arts technique known to you, First Madam, not me!” the maid continued to quibble.

Qin Daofei, holding Feng Yixiao, said calmly, “Give her a hand—tear off her human-skin mask.”

With that, Qin Daofei retreated to the shade of a tree. At the same time, Ye Lishang arrived.

Simultaneously, Linglong made her move.

She walked over and stared coldly at the maid. Held by two masters like Tang Li and Wuying, the maid could not move. She could only watch helplessly as Linglong found the seam in her mask.

*Rip!*

Linglong peeled it off without hesitation.

*Hiss!*

The maid gasped in pain, her features contorting. Everyone stared at her, and then…

“Xiao Cui!” Tan Xiyin and Qin Wang Xiangyu screamed in unison.

Yes, this maid who had previously feigned madness and later helped Tan Xiyin wreak havoc with cold-blooded cruelty was none other than Xiao Cui, the one who had helped Tan Xiyin procure the poison to use against Linglong all those years ago.

Enemies meeting face-to-face were filled with intense hatred!

Linglong said coldly, “We meet again!”

“Feng Linglong, if you have the guts, just kill me!” Xiao Cui knew that in Linglong’s hands, she had no chance of survival.

Tan Xiyin was even more agitated than Linglong. She glared at Xiao Cui, gnashing her teeth. “You little wretch! I never expected you to be by my side all this time. No wonder you knew everything about me!”

*Hmph!*

Xiao Cui looked at Tan Xiyin coldly and spat out four words: “Bitch, you fool.”

For some reason, Linglong felt there might be a story between Xiao Cui and Tan Xiyin that no one knew about. However, she had no time to probe their grievances. She pointed at Xiao Cui and said calmly, “Give me the antidote.”

“I don’t have it. I didn’t poison the child!” Xiao Cui insisted.

Linglong looked at Xiao Cui, then at Tan Xiyin, and said coldly, “I don’t care which one of you was the mastermind—give me the antidote!”

As Linglong spoke, Ai Fei flew over, her long sword pressed against Xiao Cui’s throat.

Xiao Cui looked at Linglong coldly. “I have no reason to harm your child. It brings me no benefit.”

The implication was that harming Feng Yixiao was Tan Xiyin’s idea, wasn’t it?

“Xiao Cui, you bitch! Everything back then was incited by you! If it weren’t for you, I would never have walked this path of slaughter. If it weren’t for you, how could I have had the heart to kill my own parents and sister to be buried with Feng Linglong’s child? You say you have no reason? You are one of King Xiang’s people! King Xiang was killed by Feng Linglong—that is the best reason!” Tan Xiyin screamed at Xiao Cui, her eyes bloodshot. She had never known she had been manipulated by a mere maid.

Xiao Cui sneered. “King Xiang? What does he count for?”

“Although I don’t trust Tan Xiyin’s character, this time, I am actually inclined to believe her. Xiao Cui, is your goal to frame Tan Xiyin? What grudge do you hold against her?” Linglong narrowed her eyes at Xiao Cui.

A flash of murderous intent flickered in Xiao Cui’s eyes. “What does that have to do with you?”

Before her voice had even faded, Linglong flicked a poison needle from her hand, striking Xiao Cui’s shoulder blade. Whether it hit a specific pressure point or not, Xiao Cui’s legs went weak, and she collapsed to her knees before Linglong with a thud.

Ai Fei’s sword moved with her, remaining pressed against her neck.

Linglong released her mechanical serpent, letting it crawl slowly toward Xiao Cui.

“What are you doing?” Xiao Cui clearly recognized the device, looking at Linglong in shock, unsure of her intent.