Chapter 403: Lighting Your Face

Princess Yuan Qing's sword, wielded with a desperate, life‑risking stance, seemed intent on shattering Gu Jiu Ling's body to pieces.

But the Red Scorpion's movements grew even more agile; this time Tuo Ba Yu also gave Gu Jiu Ling face, sending her the most formidable assassins from their Red Scorpion organization.

Although Gu Jiu Ling handled it officially, she watched the two Red Scorpion killers kick the noble Princess Yuan Qing to the ground, leaving her unable to get up.

Gu Jiu Ling couldn't help a slight twitch of her eye; the money spent on the Red Scorpion assassin group truly bought a big result for a small sum—highly cost‑effective.

Tuo Ba Yu may look frail, but she has been raising subordinates to be ruthless, cutting off all family ties—very useful.

She subconsciously placed an order for the next job.

Princess Yuan Qing may be a female commander, but leading thousands on the battlefield does not mean she can match a top‑tier assassin one‑on‑one.

Someone like Xiao Yin—highly skilled in martial arts, versed in military law, and adept at strategy—is a rarity in the world.

Princess Yuan Qing was previously said to be a famous female general of Bei Di, with a hint of bragging in that claim.

After all, she is the beloved daughter of the Bei Di king; if she truly led troops, could those veteran generals just stand by and watch her die?

Now the entire Qintuo Temple is under Gu Jiu Ling's control; even a wheel‑formation tactic could wear Princess Yuan Qing down.

Princess Yuan Qing was kicked to the ground and was momentarily stunned.

When she came to her senses and tried to desperately look for Gu Jiu Ling, she had already been bound into a bundle like a zongzi.

She shouted profanities at Gu Jiu Ling; once or twice being ruined by her hands would have been acceptable.

Now she gets hit every time; the noble Princess Yuan Qing of Bei Di is truly so angry her face twists and deforms.

She shouted profanities at Gu Jiu Ling.

"You scoundrel! All you do is resort to underhanded tricks; if you have the skill, just fight me with real swords and guns!"

"You have no sense of righteousness! You... &&**..."

Princess Yuan Qing was truly furious, even uttering Bei Di's national curses; in any case, Gu Jiu Ling couldn't understand what she was swearing.

Gu Jiu Ling stared steadily at the now‑mad Princess Yuan Qing, patiently waiting for her to vent.

Princess Yuan Qing grew hoarse from cursing, spitting foam, yet she stared fixedly at Gu Jiu Ling.

After she tired, Gu Jiu Ling slowly leaned down, looking down at the Princess, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes, as if seeing a pile of waste.

Princess Yuan Qing couldn't stand Gu Jiu Ling's contemptuous gaze any longer; just as she was about to speak, Gu Jiu Ling grabbed a slightly musty cloth and forced it into her mouth.

The cloth had been used by two monks in the temple, its purpose unknown, and had accidentally ended up here.

The smell instantly changed Princess Yuan Qing's complexion; she let out a whimpering sob, and her gaze toward Gu Jiu Ling unusually took on a pleading look.

Gu Jiu Ling raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled, "Now you regret scheming against me?"

"Princess Yuan Qing, I, Gu Jiu Ling, have never been a pushover; from the moment you tried to kill me, I must return this grand favor to you."

Gu Jiu Ling smiled lightly, "You love the marriage alliance so much; if I don't lend you a hand, even Heaven won't stand by."

"Wuwu—..." Princess Yuan Qing thrashed wildly, truly frightened at this moment.

Gu Jiu Ling is a devil, ruthless in methods, a brute.

She would never think Gu Jiu Ling actually helped her, yet she keeps muttering about the marriage alliance, whether or not.

She has no goodwill to care about her marriage‑alliance issue, let alone truly pair her with Xiao Yin.

What on earth does she want to do?

Princess Yuan Qing stared fixedly at Gu Jiu Ling, but could no longer muster any fire; she was tightly stuffed into a tattered burlap sack.

Yun Duo returned at speed with reinforcements, stepping before Gu Jiu Ling and whispering, "Master, Second Lord is arriving with troops, as well as the officials from the Capital Inspectorate."

Gu Jiu Ling nodded, her eyes gaining a colder hue.

The big fish she intends to catch tonight is more than just Princess Yuan Qing.

Moreover, she never fishes one by one; she prefers casting a net.

Yun Duo paused briefly, then whispered, "Master, may I say something?"

"This Bei Di princess has tried to kill you several times; perhaps I should finish her off!"

"No!" Gu Jiu Ling felt a surge of frustration.

She wants to kill the little scoundrel Princess Yuan Qing even more than Yun Duo does, but she can't take her life yet.

If she dies, the Bei Di–Southern Qi marriage alliance would fall through, affecting the entire situation.

In truth, Gu Jiu Ling felt uneasy while doing this.

She still has to uphold Xiao Yin's scheme; the Bei Di–Southern Qi marriage alliance is needed to involve the Western Rong.

With the Western Rong frontier stable, the Duan family stationed there has no chance to expand troops or extort the Imperial Court.

Seeing her master's resolute attitude, Yun Duo put away the murderous intent in her heart.

The rescued Jiu Yue rushed over; the earlier incident was just a false alarm.

Gu Jiu Ling calculated that those people wouldn't kill Jiu Yue.

After all, Jiu Yue is the fiancée of Ling Feng, Xiao Yin's top general; if she died at Princess Yuan Qing's hands, Yuan Qing wouldn't want to make many enemies in Southern Qi, especially since she might later marry into Prince Rui's household and must not offend Ling Feng there.

"Master!" Jiu Yue entered, first meticulously checking Gu Jiu Ling's condition; seeing her unharmed, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Jiu Ling could not relax; the chessboard she set up had already reached this stage, leaving no reason to stop.

"Yun Duo, what about the person I asked you to find earlier? Have you contacted Ghost Hand Seven?"

Yun Duo hurriedly turned and left, returning shortly with a tall, upright man.

The man wore a deep‑purple brocade robe, his hair draped over his shoulders; just by his bearing he resembled certain people.

Yun Duo made the man lift his head, and at that moment everyone in the room collectively gasped.

"Prince?"

"Prince Rui?"

The Red Scorpion members had previously seen Xiao Yin once, and now they kept exclaiming in surprise.

Gu Jiu Ling stepped forward, standing before the man, lifted her hand and gently tugged at his facial skin; the man, a bit shy, slowly lowered his head.

That shy gesture finally snapped everyone to attention—this wasn't the real Xiao Yin, but a fake Gu Jiu Ling had dug up from somewhere.

Everyone turned to Gu Jiu Ling, wondering what act she was putting on.

Gu Jiu Ling lightly patted the fake Xiao Yin on the shoulder, then shoved him toward the door.

"Your job is to ride a horse and escort people, going back and forth on the road from the mountain base to halfway up the slope—just think of it as an evening stroll."

Gu Jiu Ling paused, then added: "Right, remember to light more torches—best to illuminate your face."

"Don't forget!"