Chapter 99: Little Fish Kills Someone and Flees; Exquisite Faces a Difficult Situation

"Little Yu knows he was wrong, he will never dare to speak nonsense again. Please, don't be angry!" Linglong struggled to pry Qin Daofei's hands away.

Qin Daofei refused to let go, which made Linglong anxious. "Are you going to kill, right in front of me, the child who watched over me for ten days and nights when I was burning with a high fever?"

Qin Daofei glanced at Linglong, silently set Little Yu down, and walked away with a desolate air.

Linglong watched Qin Daofei deeply but did not follow him.

"Are you alright?" Linglong helped Little Yu up. After all, he was only a half-grown child, and he was trembling all over, terrified by Qin Daofei.

Linglong pulled him into her arms and said softly, "Little Yu, do you know what kind of trouble that sentence you just said has brought upon Sister Linglong?"

"Brother Hanzhi goes home and drinks in sorrow every day, and you never care about him!" Little Yu did not feel there was anything wrong with what he had said.

After checking his injuries, Linglong said calmly, "Little Yu, adult matters are not as simple as saying you like or dislike someone. I cannot return his affections just because I owe Hu Hanzhi. I do not love him; even if I stayed with him to repay my debt of gratitude, we would not be happy."

"Then will you be happy with Qin Daofei?" Little Yu asked, twisting his expression.

Linglong smiled gently. "At least I feel I am very happy!"

"Feng Linglong, you are heartless!" Little Yu slapped Linglong's hand away and glared at her viciously.

"Little Yu, when you grow up, you will find that there are many people and things you will have to disappoint. Just because someone likes you, it doesn't mean you must like them back. If it were friendship, it wouldn't matter, but this is love; it is destined to be a union of two people for a lifetime!" When Linglong said this, she felt both melancholy and a sense of release.

Hmph!

Little Yu shoved Linglong, and caught off guard, she stumbled back several steps.

"Are you really not going to see Brother Hanzhi?" Little Yu asked hatefully.

Linglong shook her head. "If I go now, he will only be more embarrassed. You don't understand Hanzhi... Little Yu, you've gone mad!"

Linglong suddenly lunged forward, her eyes wide with horror, trying to stop Little Yu. But Little Yu grabbed a maid and slashed her throat. The maid collapsed to the ground, twitching uncontrollably as blood gushed out like a fountain.

Little Yu did not even glance at the maid, leaped onto the wall, and vanished.

At the same time, Tang Li and Jifeng both flew onto the wall. Linglong, ignoring them, rushed over to hold the maid, but the cut was clean and fatal. Linglong could see the two severed, shrinking blood vessels, with blood spurting rapidly from both sides.

There was no saving her!

Linglong set the maid down, and someone began shouting frantically, "It's terrible! Miss Huan'er, who was invited by the Old Mistress, has been killed!"

Linglong was powerless to stop it. She looked in the direction where Little Yu had disappeared, then at the direction where the servant had run off shouting, and felt completely at a loss.

The people of Xiaoyao Manor had always kept their distance from Linglong. Even now, as she sat on the ground, foolishly covered in blood, no one came forward, not even to say a comforting word.

The news reached Qin Daofei's ears first. Hearing that a maid had been killed in the manor, he frowned in silence. The servant said tremblingly, "The killed Miss Huan'er was a distant relative of the Old Mistress's family. Her family had fallen on hard times, and they entrusted the child to the Old Mistress. This..."

Even if the servant hadn't finished, Qin Daofei knew that given the temperament of Qin Wangxiangyu, even if it were just an ordinary maid who had died, she would definitely come looking for trouble with Linglong, let alone a relative.

Qin Daofei stood up and said calmly, "Have Steward Zhang intercept my mother first."

The servant hurried away.

Qin Daofei walked quickly to the crime scene. Seeing him, Linglong rushed up and grabbed his arm. "Little Yu didn't do it on purpose!"

"Not on purpose?" Qin Daofei paused and said coldly, "This wound is so clean and precise; it doesn't look like an accident!"

Linglong was speechless.

"Can you not kill him?" Linglong knew her request was unreasonable, but she truly could not bear to see Little Yu and Qin Daofei, or Hu Hanzhi and Qin Daofei, become enemies.

Qin Daofei did not answer her directly. He helped Linglong up and said calmly, "I will send you back to wash up."

Linglong Pavilion.

Qin Daofei placed Linglong in the bathtub and then walked out.

Linglong sat immersed in the tub alone, not knowing what to do.

Elsewhere, Jifeng and Tang Li pursued and intercepted, finally cornering Little Yu in a small alley.

Little Yu held his sharp dagger and glared viciously at Tang Li and Jifeng. "I do not wish to be your enemy, because Sister Hua'er and Sister Aifei have both been kind to me!"

"Ha! You killed someone from our Xiaoyao Manor in broad daylight, and you have the nerve to say you don't want to be our enemy?" Jifeng had observed that although Little Yu's martial arts were good, they were not at a level where the two of them couldn't handle him.

Little Yu looked at them gloomily. "Do you truly intend to fight me?"

"I don't mind killing a child. After all, your technique is so professional that I fear even the assassins of the Underworld Hall are no match for you!" As Jifeng spoke, he launched his attack.

*Clang!* Jifeng's sword was blocked by a familiar longsword.

All three looked up to see Aifei standing between them, dressed in black and looking indifferent.

"To kill him, you must go through me first!" Aifei said coldly, blocking them with her body so Jifeng and Tang Li had no chance to attack Little Yu.

Jifeng pointed his sword at Aifei. "He killed someone in Xiaoyao Manor openly. If we just let him go, what does that make our Xiaoyao Manor?"

"Do you want to fight me?" Aifei did not answer Jifeng but stared at him coldly.

Jifeng looked back at her coldly. After a moment of thought, he said, "I am a member of Xiaoyao Manor. We serve different masters, so I will not compromise on this!"

With that, Jifeng lunged with his sword.

Aifei blocked Jifeng's attack and said to Little Yu, "Why haven't you left yet? Are you waiting here to die?"

Little Yu gritted his teeth and fled.

Tang Li tried to pursue, but Aifei kicked Jifeng away and pushed Tang Li back with a palm strike. "Unless Qin Daofei comes, you are no match for me!"

"Fight her to the end!" Jifeng attacked.

Tang Li pulled Jifeng back. "Forget it, the person has already escaped. Let's go back first; the manor must be in total chaos right now!"

In fact, while they were fighting, a ghost-like figure had followed Little Yu as he fled quickly.

Indeed, Tang Li was right; at that moment, Xiaoyao Manor was in total chaos.

After Linglong finished bathing, the first thing she did was ask Hua'er, "Where is your master?"

"He went out. Miss, did Little Yu really kill someone in Xiaoyao Manor?" Hua'er asked.

Linglong nodded faintly. "Yes, he killed someone!"

"Feng Linglong, you shameless woman! If I, Qin Wangxiangyu, don't make you taste the consequences today, you'll never know the power of the Qin family!" Just then, Qin Wangxiangyu walked down the corridor and reached out to strike Linglong.

Hua'er held Feng Yixiao and blocked Linglong, preventing Qin Wangxiangyu from striking.

Although Qin Wangxiangyu hated Linglong, she loved Feng Yixiao. She shoved Hua'er aside and said to Xia He, "Keep them guarded. Don't let this cheap girl use the child to block the disaster for her cheap mistress."

Xia He obediently blocked Hua'er and Feng Yixiao to the side. Feng Yixiao, not understanding the situation, began to cry loudly.

Linglong stood in place, watching Qin Wangxiangyu coldly.

Qin Wangxiangyu walked over and slapped Linglong across the face.

Linglong did not dodge and took the blow. Seeing that Linglong did not retaliate, Qin Wangxiangyu slapped her again, and Linglong still did not fight back.

Because Qin Wangxiangyu was wearing protective finger guards, the sharp, gilded ornaments sliced across Linglong's cheek, leaving two clear, bloody marks.

"Little Yu killing someone was indeed his fault, so I accept these two slaps. I am sorry!" Linglong ignored the wounds on her face.

Hua'er felt pained. "Miss, please don't do this!"

But Qin Wangxiangyu would not let her off. Last time, she had been swindled out of so much money for nothing, and Linglong had naturally "married" back into Xiaoyao Manor. All of this was like a spark buried in Qin Wangxiangyu's heart, waiting for a flame to set it ablaze.

"You shameless woman! After sleeping with other men for two years outside, you came back to seduce my son, and then you had his people kill in my home, killing a relative of my family! You just want revenge, don't you? Back then, it was I who told Daofei's uncle to have those people kill you. If you're not convinced, you can come for me. Hiding in another man's bed, spreading your legs for him for two years, and then coming back trying to overturn the world—you are truly shameless beyond measure!"

Linglong turned pale. She bit her lip and said stiffly, "Little Yu killing someone in Xiaoyao Manor for no reason is his fault, but that does not give you the right to slander and insult me as you please!"

Ha!

Qin Wangxiangyu sneered. "Feng Linglong, was that sentence from that little bastard just now—that you are already that man's woman—a lie? Many people in Xiaoyao Manor heard it!"

"I will not admit to things I have not done. Old Mistress, let me tell you, it was your son who forced me back; I am not clinging to him. Aren't you afraid that if you talk such nonsense, I might just end you with a blade as well? My technique is no worse than his!" Linglong said darkly.

Qin Wangxiangyu stepped back, feeling a twinge of fear. After all, Linglong was not an ordinary woman. If she were truly pushed to the edge, it would not be strange if she did something unpredictable.

However, she still had to answer to her relatives.

"People of Xiaoyao Manor, listen well! I order you to hunt down that little bastard to the ends of the earth. If Qin Daofei dares to cancel this order, I will revoke his authority as the Manor Master. Don't forget, the Old Manor Master entrusted the legacy to me on his deathbed, and I still hold the will!" With Qin Wangxiangyu's words, the atmosphere turned tense and menacing.

Linglong's pupils contracted, and she did not know what to do.

After leaving her words, Qin Wangxiangyu departed.

Hua'er rushed over holding Feng Yixiao. The child was still crying loudly, clutching Linglong's neck tightly, weeping helplessly in her arms.

"Will the Old Mistress really kill Little Yu?" Hua'er asked.

Linglong was in no mood to speak. She carried Yixiao into the room and did not come out for a long, long time.

Yuelai Inn.

Qin Daofei stood at the entrance of Hu Hanzhi's room. Hu Hanzhi looked at him calmly, and he looked back at Hu Hanzhi coldly.

"Hand over your page, Little Yu," Qin Daofei said calmly.

Hu Hanzhi curled his lips faintly. "Little Yu is a free man. He is not my page, nor is he my guard. He has never been my servant, and he has the right to come and go freely. I have no right to interfere."

"Hu Hanzhi, all the hardships I have suffered over these years were brought upon me by you. I really did misjudge you." After saying this, Qin Daofei looked at Hu Hanzhi gloomily, observing his every move.

But Hu Hanzhi maintained his gentle, jade-like demeanor. He smiled and said, "Manor Master Qin, do not pin groundless charges on me. If you have evidence, you can come to me at any time!"

The two stared at each other, and for a moment, the air seemed to freeze.

Hmph!

Unable to get the person he wanted, and worried about Linglong being harassed by Qin Wangxiangyu at home, Qin Daofei did not linger and left, flicking his sleeves coldly.

On his way back to Xiaoyao Manor, Qin Daofei happened to meet Jiong Zimei, an official under his uncle, who was heading toward his manor with a group of men.

Qin Daofei stopped Jiong Zimei. "Official Jiong, where are you headed?"

"Manor Master Qin, isn't that a rhetorical question? The Old Mistress sent a message saying that a maid in the manor was murdered through internal and external collusion. Official Wang is worried about his sister's safety and ordered me to come and check," Jiong Zimei said with a faint smile.

Qin Daofei said coldly, "There was no internal and external collusion. I witnessed the entire event. If Official Jiong is so inclined, go hunt down the murderer!"

"I must go and understand the situation from the Old Mistress," Jiong Zimei replied, not easily dismissed.

Qin Daofei glared at him coldly and said, "Go back and tell my uncle not to meddle in our family affairs; it will do him no good!"

With that, Qin Daofei left.

Jiong Zimei stood in place, at a loss.

His subordinates asked, "Official Jiong, what should we do now?"

"What should we do? If he writes a report to Official Wang, we'll all be in trouble. Let's go back!" Jiong Zimei returned to the Ministry of Justice, fuming.

Only then did Qin Daofei return home with peace of mind.

Upon his return, he heard that Qin Wangxiangyu had used the will in her possession to order the execution of Little Yu.

Qin Daofei frowned at the messenger and muttered, "Mother still cannot tolerate her, can she?"

"The First Mistress was slapped twice by the Old Mistress and has been locked in her room ever since, never coming out?" the man added.

Qin Daofei said calmly, "I see. You may leave."

Although he was angry at Linglong for suffering in silence for the sake of Little Yu, he felt even more heartache for her.

Originally, he had been heading toward the study, but after a moment of thought, he turned and headed for Linglong Pavilion.

Linglong Pavilion.

Qin Daofei knocked on Linglong's door. "Linglong, open the door!"

There was no response from inside. Fearing that Feng Yixiao might be sleeping, Qin Daofei didn't knock again but chose to leap in through the opposite window.

The weather had turned cold since autumn began. A gust of cold wind rushed in, and Feng Yixiao shivered and burrowed into Linglong's arms but did not wake up. Linglong tightened her grip and ignored Qin Daofei.

Qin Daofei closed the window and walked over to take Linglong's hand.

"Let me see the wounds?" Qin Daofei hooked her chin, revealing the two gashes on her face.

Unable to pretend she was asleep, Linglong asked, "You went to Hu Hanzhi to demand the person, didn't you?"

"Yes!" Qin Daofei did not hide it. "Little Yu did not go back, and Hu Hanzhi did not give him to me."

"If you catch him, what will you do?" Linglong asked again.

Qin Daofei said calmly, "He is your savior; I will not kill him!"

"Thank you!" Linglong lowered her head in gratitude.

Qin Daofei didn't know how to bring up his mother's order, but Linglong spoke first. She looked at Qin Daofei and asked, "What about the kill order your mother issued?"

"I will talk to them and tell them not to take it seriously. Besides, my mother cannot truly track whether Little Yu is dead or not," Qin Daofei said, applying ointment to Linglong's face.

Linglong asked timidly, "Can I trust you?"

"Linglong, I will never deceive you, at any time!" Qin Daofei stroked her delicate cheek, reluctant to let go.

Linglong smiled. "Okay, then I will trust you!"

Just then, Tang Li walked to the door and said in a low voice, "Manor Master, Hu Hanzhi is here."

"Him?" Qin Daofei asked calmly, looking at Linglong.

Linglong said, "Let's go see him together."

After they emerged, they saw Hu Hanzhi standing in the front courtyard, surrounded by many Xiaoyao Manor guards holding swords and watching him vigilantly.

"Put down your swords!" Qin Daofei said, holding Linglong's hand as he walked out to look at Hu Hanzhi.

Hu Hanzhi looked coldly at their clasped hands and said calmly, "Linglong, watching Little Yu being hunted down, do you really have no thoughts on this?"

"Hanzhi, let's discuss this later," Linglong said, looking at him with sorrowful eyes, not wanting too many people to know about the promise Qin Daofei had made to her.

Hu Hanzhi took a deep breath and said coldly, "I have come to make a trade. I will give you two more years to investigate the matter I asked Manor Master Qin to look into. Furthermore, I will leave the capital for these two years and will not return. As for the girl who died, I will compensate her parents with 100,000 taels of silver. In return, you must cancel the kill order on Little Yu!"

For Qin Daofei, this was undoubtedly an incredibly tempting deal.

First, during the two years Hu Hanzhi was gone, his relationship with Linglong could stabilize, and perhaps they might even have a child. Second, two years would be enough to investigate Hu Hanzhi's mysterious father. Third, it would give his mother a resolution.

Qin Daofei looked at Linglong, and Linglong looked at Hu Hanzhi.

"You don't need to leave the capital..." Linglong stopped, subconsciously looking at Qin Daofei. Qin Daofei remained silent, while Hu Hanzhi clenched his fists and looked at Linglong calmly.

"I stayed here before only because I was worried you were being deceived. Now that things have come to this, I cannot change the situation, and staying here is useless. If you agree, I will pack my things and go back immediately," Hu Hanzhi said, looking at Qin Daofei.

Qin Daofei said coldly, "Wait. Because the victim was a relative of my mother's family, I must go and ask for her permission."

Qin Daofei went to the Pine and Cypress Pavilion. Linglong lowered her head, not daring to look at Hu Hanzhi, who smiled faintly and said, "We are about to part ways, do you have nothing to say to me?"

"Hanzhi, I am sorry. I have no power to change anything, and I have no words for you, but I hope you can find your own happiness."

Hearing Linglong's words, Hu Hanzhi sneered and said, "So, you really are not keeping me?"

"Instead of being tethered here, it would be better for you to go back to the desert; that is your true home. I have never felt that you were happy here," Linglong said, believing that leaving might be the best thing for him.

Hu Hanzhi looked at her coldly and said gloomily, "I was happy because you were in the desert. In the future, without you, the desert will be the same as anywhere else. It makes no difference where I am!"

"I'm sorry!" Beyond those words, Linglong didn't know what to say.

Hu Hanzhi sneered. "I don't want your apologies. Linglong, everything today is your choice, so whether you cry or laugh in the future has nothing to do with me!"

"Yes, I understand," Linglong nodded, her eyes dull.

Hu Hanzhi suddenly smiled. He patted Linglong on the head and said softly, "Linglong, take care of yourself in the future. Who knows when we will meet again? If I see that you are not happy, I won't let you off!"

"Yes, yes, I will definitely be happy. You must be happy, too!" Linglong smiled, though her eyes were filled with tears.

Hu Hanzhi couldn't bear to look anymore and said coldly, "Go back to your room; I don't want to see you!"

"I'll see you off!" Linglong said.

"You don't like being seen off, so don't wrong yourself on my account. Go back!" Hu Hanzhi insisted, but Linglong wouldn't move. She smiled and said, "I'm not leaving. I want to watch you go. Just like when I left, you were the same—you said you wouldn't see me off, but you watched me leave."

A flash of intense and complex emotion crossed Hu Hanzhi's eyes. He said, "Linglong, if you keep this up, I will knock you out and take you away, lock you up in Crescent Moon Manor, and never let you leave me for the rest of your life."

Uh...

"Then go, and let's never meet again!" Linglong waved goodbye to him.

Hu Hanzhi was so angry he laughed. He waved his hand and said, "Goodbye, Linglong!"

Linglong truly did not turn back and strode away.

Hu Hanzhi watched the direction Linglong had left in for a long time, unable to take his eyes away.

Meanwhile, Qin Daofei arrived at the Pine and Cypress Pavilion.

Qin Wangxiangyu asked angrily, "You've come to plead for that cheap woman Feng Linglong again, haven't you?"

"Mother, she is my wife; please do not use such derogatory terms to describe her!" Qin Daofei said coldly.

Qin Wangxiangyu glanced at him sheepishly and said nothing more.

Qin Daofei sighed and said calmly, "The master of the little guy who killed Huan'er has come. He is willing to compensate Huan'er's parents with 100,000 taels of silver, provided we let the person go."

"No, absolutely not! It's not like the Qin family can't afford 100,000 taels of silver; why should we let him go!" Qin Wangxiangyu thought that as long as she could make life difficult for Linglong, it was a good thing.

Qin Daofei said coldly, "I have a deal with that man to find his biological father, but for some reason, someone always interferes. The original agreement was for one year, but that year has passed, and I still have no leads. Fortunately, Linglong used all her money to win me another half-year, but that half-year has passed by more than a month, and I still have no leads. If I cannot find the person, I will have to pay him hundreds of thousands of taels of gold, which would almost exhaust the financial resources of Xiaoyao Manor. Now, he demands that if we let the child go, we can get two more years. Mother, these two years are too important to me."

"Then... is he a man of his word?" Qin Wangxiangyu looked up at Qin Daofei.

Qin Daofei nodded. "Yes!"

"Then go. But you must keep Feng Linglong in check. If I see such messy men coming to the door to fight for her affections again, I will not forgive her!" For the sake of Qin Daofei, Qin Wangxiangyu made a concession.

Qin Daofei breathed a sigh of relief and walked out quickly, only to see Hu Hanzhi standing alone in the courtyard, while Linglong was nowhere to be found.

"Well? Manor Master Qin?" Hu Hanzhi asked.

Qin Daofei said coldly, "We agree. Jifeng, come out and spread the word: Xiaoyao Manor is stopping the hunt for Little Yu!"

"Yes!" Just as Jifeng finished speaking, a large black bundle fell from the roof of the Tongtian Pavilion, landing right between Hu Hanzhi and Qin Daofei.

Qin Daofei frowned, only to hear a sinister voice from above: "Manor Master, that little bastard has been successfully executed!"

Hearing this, Qin Daofei and Hu Hanzhi lunged toward the bundle. Hu Hanzhi opened it first, only to see Little Yu curled up inside, having been dead for some time.