Chapter 60: Flower Plucker

Outside the Cangyuan Marquis Mansion.

Guanshan Xue, clad in black night attire, slipped out from nearby streets and alleys and lightly leapt onto a locust tree.

She silently gazed into the mansion; the entire compound lay still, with only a few dim lanterns glowing in the courtyard and corridors.

“Why are the guards at the Cangyuan Marquis Mansion so lax?”

Under the hazy moonlight, Guanshan Xue surveyed the mansion but saw no night watchmen or servants moving about.

“Something’s wrong. The Cangyuan Marquis Mansion is closely tied to the Taiyin Yuan Sect—there must be experts stationed inside. I cannot let my guard down.”

Guanshan Xue furrowed her brow slightly; before she could uncover Cang Yin Yue hiding within, she must not be caught by the mansion’s experts—otherwise, tonight’s humiliation would remain unavenged.

Thinking this, she swiftly ran along the outer wall of the mansion, arriving at an inconspicuous corner of the rear garden, far from the main buildings, then leapt up and scaled the high wall.

She had assumed sneaking in through such a secluded spot would make it unlikely for the mansion’s experts to notice.

But to Guanshan Xue’s surprise, in an instant she suddenly spotted, far off, another figure dressed in black night attire appearing in the mansion’s rear garden.

The figure used lightness skill to swiftly cross the corridors, reached a corner of the rear courtyard, then leapt over the wall and vanished.

Guanshan Xue crouched low atop the wall, letting the shadows of nearby trees conceal her form.

She watched the figure dart into a nearby alley and disappear, her delicate brows knitting slightly:

“Sneaking out of the Cangyuan Marquis Mansion at night—could this be Cang Yin Yue?”

She had heard from constables in the Six Gates Bureau today that this woman had suddenly gone mad, breaking off her engagement to Fu Yu—truly absurd.

Given the hour, it’s possible she’s attempting to flee the marriage in secret.

Guanshan Xue glanced once more into the Cangyuan Marquis Mansion, hesitated briefly, then ultimately decided to quietly pursue the fleeing figure.

“I’ll follow for now. If it really is Cang Yin Yue, capturing and beating her up might even earn me thanks from the Cangyuan Marquis.”

A cold smirk appeared on Guanshan Xue’s icy face.

Her lightness skill, learned from the Divine Constable Guan Tianqian, was called “Golden Goose Thirteen Forms”—soundless on the ground, graceful as a startled goose, exceptionally extraordinary, among the finest martial arts body techniques in the entire martial world.

Thus, though she had lost some time, she soon caught up to the figure.

And the figure remained completely unaware she was being followed.

Zhuyan Quarter.

At the end of a stone path in the rear garden of a large mansion, a graceful, ancient pavilion stood amid lush trees and blooming flowers.

On the second floor, candlelight glowed; before a vermilion windowsill, a beautiful woman sat before a dressing mirror, combing her jet-black hair with a sandalwood comb.

Her face was delicate and petite, as gentle as a modest maiden; incense burned in the room, releasing a faint, sweet fragrance; beside the carved bed, silk curtains hung softly, and a breeze stirred, making the gauze curtains by the window flutter gently.

“Miss, it’s time to retire.”

A maid bowed low, whispering, then walked to the window, glanced outside, and closed the open shutters.

Soon, the room’s interior was obscured, leaving only faint, hazy silhouettes moving behind the translucent paper.

Not long after, the candlelight was extinguished, plunging the entire pavilion into darkness.

At that moment, a masked black-clad figure arrived silently, landing atop the pavilion’s tree canopy.

With a flick of his hand, a strange object pierced through the window and flew into the woman’s chamber; instantly, a faint blue smoke rose in the darkness.

Moments later, the figure on the tree leapt lightly, swept his palm through the air, shattering the second-floor window without a sound, then slipped into the room.

“This… isn’t right!”

Guanshan Xue, following from behind, immediately sensed something amiss.

Cang Yin Yue would never sneak into a woman’s private chamber at midnight—much less use a stupefying smoke.

This was clearly a flower-plucking thief!

At that moment, Guanshan Xue suddenly recalled hearing rumors among constables in the Six Gates Bureau.

They said that recently, in three quarters of Shangyang City, a lecher had preyed upon unmarried maidens.

Not only did this thief defile their chastity, but he also killed them with a strange claw technique that pierced through their skulls—his methods were exceedingly cruel.

Thinking of this, Guanshan Xue’s eyes instantly flared with killing intent.

Without hesitation, she lightly tapped the ground and, like a flying goose, followed the figure into the room.

Simultaneously, her icy qi rapidly gathered, and she unleashed her killing technique: “Ice God Palm.”

The Ice God Palm was the famed divine art of the Feixue Sect, renowned throughout the martial world—not only immensely powerful, but legend claimed that at its peak, a single palm strike could freeze rivers and sever canals.

Guanshan Xue struck immediately with her ultimate technique, clearly intending to kill the flower-plucking thief with one blow.

BOOM!

The next instant, a deafening crash erupted in the dark room, the shockwave of colliding qi shattering every nearby door and window.

The flower-plucking thief was highly alert; as Guanshan Xue’s killing palm descended, he instantly reacted, whipping out a claw drenched in sinister yin qi.

Thus, the two clashed in the dark room.

Beneath the hazy night, one side of the pavilion was shrouded in frost, the other in chilling, bone-deep cold.

But clearly, the flower-plucking thief was stronger; Guanshan Xue was blasted back several zhang, barely stopping as she landed atop the pavilion’s tree canopy.

“Ice God Palm? You’re Guanshan Xue.”

From within the dark pavilion, a chilling voice spoke; the man rapidly circulated his qi to dispel the numbness and freezing in his fingers, his gaze cold as he fixed on Guanshan Xue outside.

Guanshan Xue grunted, a trickle of blood seeping from her lips; she looked down at her palm, where wisps of blue yin qi coiled.

His martial cultivation was higher than hers; had it not been for the Ice God Palm’s power, and her surprise attack, while he was caught off-guard and could only muster half his strength,

She would already have been grievously wounded by that claw.

“Are you Cang Yuning?” Guanshan Xue narrowed her eyes.

Cang Yuning, third son of the Cangyuan Marquis and the only surviving son, and with his mother’s ties to Imperial Consort Ji,

Was somewhat well-known among the capital’s noble youths; Guanshan Xue had seen him several times before, so she recognized his voice.

Hearing this, Cang Yuning’s eyes flashed with murderous intent—his identity exposed, he could only kill to silence her.

But at that moment, a figure suddenly landed soundlessly beside Guanshan Xue.

His withered, claw-like fingers, wreathed in yin qi, scratched lightly against her back; Guanshan Xue’s eyes rolled back and she collapsed unconscious.

“Thank goodness the Miss had old servant follow and watch over the Young Master—otherwise, disaster might have struck.”

The withered old woman, holding Guanshan Xue, spoke in a hollow tone.

(End of Chapter)