Chapter 39: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind A special Children's Day bonus chapter—thank you all for your generous support!

"Indeed, I would also like to know—who is so bold as to dare steal from my mother right here at Carefree Manor?" Qin Daofei stood at the doorway, his gaze icy as he looked at them.

The moment Qin Wang Xiangyu saw Qin Daofei, she burst into a pitiful lament, "Son, your mother cannot go on living!"

"All because you were robbed of a bit of money?" Qin Daofei chuckled. "Mother, if you need money, I can give you as much as you want. Surely this small matter doesn't warrant such distress?"

"But it was over twenty thousand taels—over twenty thousand taels!" Qin Wang Xiangyu wailed as if she had lost her own child.

Qin Daofei raised his brows and looked toward Linglong. "Was it you?"

"Master Qin, feel free to investigate. If you discover anything, do let me know," Linglong replied, not sparing him a glance as she walked into the room.

Qin Daofei reached out and seized Linglong's wrist, uncertain what temper she was displaying this time.

Linglong shook off Qin Daofei's hand and asked coolly, "What? Are you planning to drag me before the authorities again?"

Truth be told, Linglong was truly cowed by Qin Daofei's arrival. She only wanted to escape the scene of the crime, not to argue!

"Mother is perfectly well; why would she need to use such a large sum?" Qin Daofei kept a firm grip on Linglong's wrist, but turned his head to ask a question that left Qin Wang Xiangyu breathless.

She hadn't expected such a reaction from her son—she thought he would scold Linglong, and now she found herself at a loss for words.

Linglong watched Qin Wang Xiangyu with a bright, mischievous smile, keen to see how she would justify those twenty thousand taels.

As expected, Qin Wang Xiangyu stammered, unable to speak.

"Mother?" Qin Daofei prompted quietly.

"It's nothing. I just wanted to air out the silver notes. The house has been damp these days, and I was afraid they might get musty," Qin Wang Xiangyu blurted out a feeble excuse.

Linglong could not help herself and burst into laughter.

Qin Daofei tightened his grip ever so slightly, and Linglong, feeling the pain, immediately fell silent, no longer daring to mock the matter of airing silver notes.

"I will look into this, Mother. Rest assured, if the silver notes were lost within the manor for a legitimate reason, they will certainly be returned to you," Qin Daofei said, glancing at Linglong with a half-smile.

But Qin Wang Xiangyu’s heart trembled at the mention of a "legitimate reason."

Linglong muttered, "What does it have to do with me?"

Will he really investigate?

"I shall take my leave, then," Qin Wang Xiangyu stammered, casting a timid glance at her son, suddenly afraid to face him.

If Qin Daofei were to discover that she had forced Linglong to demand a divorce, who knew if he might grow so angry as to marry her off to someone else? Terrifying!

Qin Daofei bowed to see his mother off. As soon as she was gone, he swept Linglong up in his arms and strode into the room.

Linglong, terrified, clung to the doorframe and cried out desperately, "Hua’er! Fang Qing! Help!"

Both maids bowed their heads, silently praying for her safety.

"Qin Daofei, if you dare lay a hand on me, I’ll never forgive you!" Linglong clung to the doorframe, but her grip was no match for Qin Daofei’s strength. Inch by inch, her hands slipped free.

Soon, the two disappeared behind the screen.

Hua’er, anxious, craned her neck to look. "Sister Fang Qing, do you think the master will kill my lady?"

"He probably couldn’t bear to. At most, she’ll get a beating," Fang Qing replied, equally curious, but her previous experience of being poisoned mute had left her too frightened ever to pry into Qin Daofei’s affairs again. It was simply too dangerous.

"That’s a relief..."

A shriek from inside interrupted Hua’er’s words.

Eager to rescue her mistress, Hua’er rushed forward, only to be blocked by Tang Li, who had appeared out of nowhere.

"Move aside! I must save my lady!" Hua’er, seeing it was Tang Li, tried to push past him.

Tang Li seized both her hands, his face expressionless, and promptly dragged her away, locking her in her own room with a swift, practiced motion.

Fang Qing, standing in the corridor, gazed thoughtfully at Hua’er’s door, as if she had just realized something.

Meanwhile, Linglong was backed into a corner of the bed, her arms twisted behind her as Qin Daofei pinned her down, his muscular chest filling her vision.

"Return the silver notes to my mother," Qin Daofei ordered, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

Linglong retorted indignantly, "I didn’t take your mother’s silver notes."

"Truly?"

"If you don’t believe me, search the room!"

"You said it," Qin Daofei replied, and without further ado, began tugging at Linglong’s clothing, which resulted in the shriek Hua’er and Fang Qing had heard.

Linglong clutched her collar, cursing, "Qin Daofei, you scoundrel! I told you to search the room, not my person!"

"I’ll search you first, then the room," Qin Daofei replied, his hands roaming methodically.

Driven to desperation, Linglong covered his mouth and spat, "Your mother wants me to divorce you!"

Qin Daofei froze.

He reached for her hand, but Linglong glared fiercely, refusing to let him. Qin Daofei retaliated by licking her palm with his tongue. Linglong, ticklish, instantly withdrew her hand.

She wiped her palm on her dress, her expression one of utter disgust.

Qin Daofei regarded her with a sly smile, then suddenly leaned in, brushing her nose with his own. "We’ve already exchanged saliva—don’t you think it’s a bit late to feel disgusted now?"

Is that so?

Linglong raised her head, stuck out her delicate tongue, and licked his face.

Truly, she was no different from a little dog!

"And that doesn’t disgust you?" Linglong asked triumphantly.

Qin Daofei merely laughed wickedly, a smile that sent a chill through Linglong’s heart.

"Next time you steal my mother’s silver notes, remember to give me some hush money," he said.

Linglong’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor. He...

"Qin Daofei, I never imagined you’d stoop so low as to profit even from your own mother!" At this point, Linglong could think of no word for him but "beast"—and even that was too mild.

Qin Daofei only smiled. In truth, all the money belonged to him; preventing her from paying out that twenty thousand taels was what really mattered.

Under Linglong’s withering glare, Qin Daofei stood, calmly straightened his sleeves, and left the room.

That afternoon, rumors swept through the capital that a medicine peddler named Medicine Gourd had been killed. Before dying, he had scrawled the character "Phoenix" in his palm, and everyone concluded that this referred to Feng Linglong.

Thus, word quickly spread that Feng Linglong had murdered the medicine peddler.

Most coincidentally, that very peddler was the same one who had sold the Two Lives Ointment years before.

Upon hearing this news, Tan Xiyin immediately rushed to Linglong Pavilion. Ignoring Fang Qing and Hua’er’s attempts to stop her, she barged straight into Linglong’s room, where Linglong was napping.

Due to her medication, Linglong was in a deep sleep and did not wake.

"My lady is unwell and recuperating at this hour. If you have any questions, Second Madam, please take them up with Master Qin," Hua’er said angrily, gesturing for Tan Xiyin to leave.

Tan Xiyin’s eyes brimmed with tears as she pointed at Linglong, accusing, "She dares to sleep while the entire city gossips about how she bought the Two Lives Ointment from that peddler all those years ago! Now that Brother Daofei has traced it to the peddler, he’s dead. She must have poisoned my parents and sister—she’s a murderer!"

Sobbing and wailing, Tan Xiyin tried to strangle Linglong, but the latter remained unresponsive.

Alarmed, Hua’er yanked Tan Xiyin back and slapped her hard across the face. "Second Madam, do you not feel any fear in the dead of night?"

Tan Xiyin stared at her, dumbfounded.

Suddenly, the atmosphere grew heavy with silence, broken only by Linglong’s calm breathing.

"Get out. This is not a place where you can make a scene," Hua’er said, glancing at the peacefully sleeping Linglong and resolving, "I failed to protect my lady before. This time, I will not let Tan Xiyin bully her."

"You dare strike me and tell me to get out? What are you but a lowly servant? Someone, take this wretch away! How can it be that in Carefree Manor even a maid dares lay hands on me?" Tan Xiyin shrieked hysterically, dragging Hua’er toward the stairs.

Hua’er did not resist. For her, keeping Tan Xiyin away from Linglong was best.

As she was led away, she kept glancing back at Linglong, but her mistress slept on, untroubled by the commotion.

Before being dragged away, Hua’er anxiously told Fang Qing, "Don’t let anyone disturb the mistress."

Though worried, Fang Qing could only watch as Hua’er was taken away. She glanced at the calming incense burning in the corner—there was still more than a quarter of an hour left. The charlatan doctor had warned that Linglong must not wake before the incense burned out.

Fearing that Tan Xiyin’s outburst was a diversion, Fang Qing remained close by.

Afterward, Hua’er was pulled toward the front courtyard by Xiao Cui and Tan Xiyin.

"Xiao Cui, hold her tight," Tan Xiyin ordered, handing Hua’er over and then, right before Hua’er’s eyes, dug her red-painted nails into her own face, leaving five distinct marks.

Xiao Cui slapped Hua’er across the face. "Wretched maid! You dare strike Second Madam and ruin her face? Let’s see who dares protect you now."

"You..." Hua’er stared at Tan Xiyin in shock, feeling a chill run through her. She had never imagined Tan Xiyin could be so shameless.

And so, though Tan Xiyin left Linglong Pavilion unharmed, by the time she reached the front courtyard, there was a handprint across her face.

The two women dragged Hua’er with them, loudly recounting their grievances until they reached the front courtyard.

There, Butler Zhang awaited them, having been summoned in advance.

Seeing him, Tan Xiyin wailed, "Butler, today I must discipline this wicked maid. Please fetch Madam Qin here to judge the matter!"

Butler Zhang dared not ask for details and hurried off to summon Qin Wang Xiangyu.

Already harboring resentment toward Linglong, Qin Wang Xiangyu would not let the opportunity pass, and hurried out with Xia He to watch the spectacle.

Tan Xiyin tearfully recounted her version of events, painting Hua’er as a vicious servant bullying her mistress. Seeing the marks on Tan Xiyin’s face, everyone looked at her with sympathy and directed their reproach at Hua’er.

Throughout, Hua’er remained silent, her gaze icy as she looked at Tan Xiyin.

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