Chapter 67: Step Kill

On the second day at dawn, the last batch of us left in Yangzi Nation was completely withdrawn; Xin Hui turned out to have no right to return to Yi Nation's headquarters, and I still didn't know who Wen Ruobin was—he only said, "Don't worry, just follow," and she was truly added to the returning column.

I had no idea where the main force was heading, I just followed along; the journey was originally quite boring—Xin Hui was forcibly taken by Wen Ruobin for psychological therapy with Xiao Nian, while Master and Yuan Yi temporarily stayed in Yangzi Nation. Yet I ended up fooling around the whole way—for a full half month—because a gold‑and‑silver‑eyed little imp named Xiao Chi, who looks a lot like Xin Luo, kept teasing and arguing with me the entire time.

So, although the half‑month relocation was tiring, it wasn't boring. The only drawback was that the brat Xiao Chi acted without restraint, and his martial skill was several times higher than mine, so each day I inevitably ended up with some unlucky bruises and had to go back for Xiao Yin to tend them.

Half a month later, we followed the massive, orderly army and finally arrived safely at Yi Nation's headquarters—the former Cangxue Nation. Someone arranged for me to stay in a room within the Cangxue Imperial Palace Medical Hall; I was so exhausted I collapsed and fell asleep immediately.

When I got up the next day, I found everyone seemed to fall back into their respective work tracks as soon as they returned here—orderly and busy without chaos. I, on the other hand, because Master hadn't arrived and my status was unusual, couldn't be assigned any duties; among these diligent workers I felt like a parasite, idle all day.

That day, while I was idly wandering the back garden, I heard Xiao Chi's irritating voice from not far away, "Hey! Stupid woman, why are you wandering around again? Don't you know there are many forbidden areas in this palace?"

"Forbidden areas?" I hurried up to him, asking puzzled, "What forbidden areas? Could it be the armory?"

Xiao Chi was sitting at a stone table with a fine guqin laid on it. He looked up, gave me a disdainful glance, and said, "Forbidden areas are forbidden; just don't wander around. Especially that place—if you trespass on your own, Ran Gege won't care who you are and will kill you without mercy!"

I tucked my chin in, recalling that old good‑natured fool, and could only find his words laughable.

I sat down beside him, casually plucked the strings, and a few clear, mellow notes leapt from the guqin.

"You can play the qin too?" Xiao Chi glanced sideways at my plucking hand.

What an unlovable kid—only ten years old yet trying desperately to sound mature. I lifted the qin, placed it before him, and gave a charming smile, saying, "Whether I can play or not, you'll know once you hear."

Xiao Chi shivered; over the past month he had figured out my temperament—the brighter his smile, the easier I could manipulate him. Still, he was just a child at heart: afraid of being pranked by me on one hand, and on the other genuinely eager to hear what I could play.

I plucked the strings, and the opening melody drifted out lightly; a faint smile curled my lips as I sang softly:

Pig! Your nose has two holes, and when you have a cold you're still dripping snot, cow.

Pig! You have pitch‑black eyes; you look and look and still can't see the edge.

……

Legend says your ancestor owned a spade‑like rake, and the fortune‑teller said he was doomed to attract peach‑blossom romance.

He'd giggle whenever he saw a pretty girl.

He wouldn't blush, wouldn't be afraid.

……

I looked up to see Xiao Chi with an eager expression, listening intently, his mouth involuntarily curving as the lyrics amused him. I gently gathered my fingers, let the melody fade, forced back my laughter, and sang the final line of the song: "You're a lot like it."

Quiet, mouth half‑open, still not fully recovered—good! I quietly stood, turned, and fled…

"Dead woman!! How dare you say I'm like a pig—" After a moment, a deafening roar rang in my ears.

Half an hour later.

I panted heavily, still seated on the stone bench, glanced at the torn sleeve—thankfully my early‑spring clothes were thick enough to avoid bleeding—then looked at Xiao Chi, his face flushed with anger but showing no sign of breathlessness after the chase.

Should I thank him for sparing me, or be angry that he used his martial skill to bully me?

I steadied my breath, leaned my back against the stone table, looked up at the endless blue sky, and stared blankly.

Can I really retrieve the cross? Or rather, do I truly want to retrieve the cross?

What is my true desire deep in my heart? What is the fear I truly dread, unable to face…?

Because I want, I act, and then I'll be happy.

That happiness is buried so deep that even I don't know what I actually want to do.

I turned around, my hand still cool from the earlier sweat, and touched the strings. Regardless of Xiao Chi's puzzled stare, I played gently and sang low:

I see the sky is very blue

Just like the warmth of you by my side

Life holds too many regrets

The older one grows, the lonelier one feels

I really want…

"Ran Gege—" Xiao Chi's excited shout cut off my song; a figure flashed, and he lunged to Qi Ran's side, gripping Qi Ran's sleeve tightly.

Qi Ran's dark blue eyes stared deeply at the qin I had just plucked, his thin lips pressed together, his thoughts unreadable.

I lowered my eyelids, covering my burning eyes, stood up, bowed and said, "Young Master."

Qi Ran finally lifted his head to look at me, a faint ripple of light in his eyes, his lips stubbornly pursed. After a long pause, when he spoke, his clear, pleasant voice carried a hint of dejection, "What about the steamed egg custard you said you'd make? So many days have passed…"

"Huh? That…" I was startled, then gave a wry smile in my mind, and calmly replied, "They said I don't need to worry about preparation; there will be dedicated doctors and chefs here to arrange your meals. At worst there's… Young Lady, it's not my concern."

Xiao Chi glanced at me, curled his lip, and disdainfully said, "What kind of Young Lady is that shameless woman, anyway…"

Before he could finish, Xiao Chi halted, following Qi Ran's gaze toward the back, and I, surprised, looked as well.

A moment later, a man in white as pure snow stepped leisurely from behind the artificial rock, his eyes like abyssal pools sweeping over Qi Ran and Xiao Chi, finally landing on me with a half‑smile.

Startled, I was about to lower my head to avoid the trembling gaze, when another figure emerged behind the artificial rock—elegant, scholarly, handsome, dressed like a scholar, yet not Wen Ruobin; who was he?

"Ran." Bai Shengyi greeted casually, saw Qi Ran give a slight nod, and with a sly grin sat down beside me. I couldn't help but shiver, and saw Xiao Chi already release Qi Ran's sleeve, gripping his military dagger warily as he stared at him.

Clearly the atmosphere here was eerie, yet the newly arrived Wen Ruobin seemed unfazed, greeted me, then walked to Qi Ran and said gravely, "Young Master, we've received news from Yin Nation."

When he spoke, he was nothing like the "idiot" he usually is with Xin Hui; a faint smile played on his face, but his eyes glittered with a captivating brilliance.

Seeing Qi Ran nod, he sighed, extended his right hand that had been hidden behind his back, and handed over two sheets of paper.

Qi Ran took them, skimmed them quickly, and a serious expression appeared on his face; I felt a slight chill in my heart.

"Empress Qin Ning, want to know what's written on those two wanted notices?" Bai Shengyi, leaning against the table, spoke to me without restraint, his eyes—seemingly capable of ensnaring souls—fixed on the masked Qi Ran, whose unparalleled visage was hidden.

I shivered violently, as if all the blood in my body was suddenly drained, and when I met Qi Ran's suddenly glaring blue eyes, I felt an extreme cold spread through me, only trembling.

Qi Ran—what will he think? Does he know who Empress Qin Ning is? Does he also know… Wei Lingfeng, the elder brother he's been searching for all this time?

Wen Ruobin's delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, his eyes flashing with light as he looked at me, then he smiled elegantly and said, "No wonder I felt a sense of familiarity when I saw Xiao Ruo; it turns out she's the newly married bride I heard singing loudly on the seaside that day, the newly appointed Empress Qin Ning of Qi Nation a month ago—Lan Ying Ruo. But Xiao Ruo," a completely harmless smile spread across Wen Ruobin's face, yet I suddenly felt he might be as terrifying as Bai Shengyi, "You, being the esteemed Empress of Qi Nation, why did you come to our Yi Nation?"

My cracked, aching lips opened, I had many excuses and countless lies ready, but faced with Qi Ran's blue eyes colder than winter, I felt my heart freeze numb and painful, unable to utter a single word.

A sudden sharp pain struck my hair, and when I came to, a strand of my black hair was already grasped by Bai Shengyi; I let out a painful cry, staggered, and fell onto the stone bench beside him.

"Don't you really want to know what those two wanted notices say?" Bai Shengyi's extremely seductive tone, exhaling scorching breath beside my ear, "What if… it's about Step Kill?"

"What?!" I startled, ignoring the pain, yanked my hair back from his grip, and sprinted in a single bound to Qi Ran, snatching the two sheets…

「In the peace talks between the Yin and Yao states, the emperor of Yin, Yin Tianao, and the emperor of Yao, Fu Jing, were killed……and the Yin and Yao states each issued a wanted notice with a reward of one million taels of silver……」 I slightly opened my trembling lips, shocked, I lifted my head to look at Qi Ran; his blue eyes were not as icy as just now, but instead revealed a hint of worry and deep thought.

I frowned, unable to suppress the urge to grit my teeth, "This idiot, what the hell is he doing? Why does he keep getting wanted notices every time? I think he's addicted to it!"

"Bu Sha did it on purpose." Qi Ran lowered his head to look at the two papers in my hand, then suddenly frowned and said.

"On purpose?" I was stunned. Right, given Bu Sha's skills, if he really could succeed in assassination, he wouldn't let his identity be discovered.

But the strangest part is, even if Bu Sha's martial arts were superb, without an insider helping, assassinating the emperors of two countries would be nearly impossible to accomplish.

Could it be that he deliberately drew the attention of both the Yin and Yao states onto himself?

Could this be the mission he received that day?

But who is helping him? And what is the purpose of him taking this mission?

"Ruobin, pass the order down." Qi Ran's voice suddenly sounded from above; he glanced at me, his voice paused, then continued, "In the name of Bing Ling, issue a proclamation to the world from the three taverns 'Tianya', 'Fengxiao', and 'Lu'an' of the Qi-Yin-Yao states: capture Bu Sha alive, reward ten million taels of gold; harm his life, and Bing Ling will pursue him forever, exterminating his three generations."

"Pa—" a loud bang came from behind; I jerked my head back, only to see the guqin I had just played shattered into powder; Bai Shengyi's eyes were bewitchingly blood-red, matching the smile blooming like flowers at the corner of his lips, which made my pores constantly expand and contract, as if cold wind could seep through that gap into my body, making me feel icy throughout.

"You actually, for a Bu Sha, want to break the ancestral rules and let Bing Ling intervene in worldly struggles?!"

"Do not get near Ran-gege!" Xiao Chi tightly gripped a military spike in his hand, his gold-and-silver demonic pupils glittering, he stared fixedly at Bai Shengyi as he walked step by step toward Qi Ran.

Qi Ran raised the corner of his mouth, pulling out a chilling smile: "Breaking the ancestral rules? You and the royal father have already been doing that; is it my turn to be the first?"

Wen Ruobin beside him seemed shocked for a moment, then finally came to his senses, glancing this way and that, then gave a nonchalant smile and said: "Yes, young master. May I ask, should we send it out immediately?"

Qi Ran nodded, about to speak, when suddenly a cold light flashed in his blue eyes.

I only felt that in an instant, a slight restlessness rose over my whole body, a sense of danger swept through me, a snow-white figure had already lunged before my eyes with a fierce killing intent—so fast, my heart jumped, I raised my right hand, hooked my left arm, already resolved to block with everything……

The next second, I only felt my body suddenly lighten, falling into a warm embrace, mixed with a faint valley fragrance, long and strong arms tightly encircling my waist……

Qi Ran loosened the hand that had been encircling my waist, coldly gazing not far away at Bai Shengyi, who had already returned to his usual lazy, mocking demeanor.

"Ran, don't you think that the empress of Qi, having probed so many of our secrets, should be eliminated?" He looked at me, a flash of killing intent in his eyes, the corner of his mouth hooking into a cold, faint smile, "Or is it just because she is Bu Sha's person, you……"

"My affairs are not yet your business to manage?" Qi Ran indifferently interrupted him, "You'd better not forget what you said when you asked to follow me that day!"

Bai Shengyi's whole body shuddered, his flirtatious smile freezing at that moment; after a silence, he suddenly revealed a bitter smile utterly unlike him, and said dejectedly: "I, who had schemed and calculated everything, could never achieve this…… I never imagined that a dead woman could actually completely change you……"

My whole body shuddered, in a daze my vision blurred with heat and moisture, my legs went weak and sore, I could barely stand.

Even Wen Ruobin put away his original elegant, false smile, his eyes flickering light and dark; after a moment he patted Bai Shengyi's shoulder and smiled faintly: "Although I used to dislike you, since we've both chosen to follow the young master, let me give you a little reminder: don't even dream of replacing whoever… in the young master's heart, the positions of those two."

"Young master." Wen Ruobin turned toward Qi Ran and bowed slightly, "I'll go down to deliver the order."

After saying that, Wen Ruobin gave me a light smile: "Xin Hui said the psychotherapy was taught by you, so I still need to thank you." Having said that, he waved his hand and strode away gracefully.

Bai Shengyi stepped back a few steps, sat down on the stone bench, his face no longer showing the earlier bitterness and desolation, he casually glanced our way, still smiling in an alluring, evil manner.

Qi Ran turned and, indifferent, vanished along the path he had come; in an instant he was already ten meters away.

"Stupid woman, hurry up and leave." Xiao Chi grabbed my icy hand and also leapt away, "Do you want to get killed?"

The formerly lively area around the stone bench was now empty except for Bai Shengyi alone and scattered guqin wood chips flying across the ground; gazing at the empty space where no one remained, he slightly curled his lip, raising a cold, bloodthirsty smile, and murmured: "Really, just because of Bu Sha you won't kill her? I, on the other hand…… really want to test your limits. Ran……"

Since that day, I have never seen Qi Ran again, but I clearly felt someone lurking in the dark, following or rather monitoring me. Besides a bitter smile, still a bitter smile, Bai Shengyi that pervert has made up his mind not to let me have a good life.

From inside the house came Xin Hui's flustered voice: "I've said not to rush, not to rush, why do you keep doing this? Xiao Nian, be good, don't cry, sister hugs you."

Then came Wen Ruobin's foolish laugh, somewhat embarrassed he replied: "I just think it's fun… (I can even picture Xin Hui's furious, murderous expression before my eyes), ah—look, Xiao Nian now is closer to you than to me……"

I have to admit, Wen Ruobin really can make the mild-tempered Xin Hui so angry she goes crazy.

Speaking of which, no wonder I initially felt the name Wen Ruobin familiar—he is one of the Four Great Ministers of Bing Ling; if I still didn't know his identity by now, that would truly be hopelessly slow-witted.

But this guy, in front of Xin Hui, bears no trace of a great minister; he's just like a shameless big kid, clinging to her all day. Could it be…… he's fallen for Xin Hui?

Cough…… this probably should just wait until Xin Hui discovers his true nature, then let things take their natural course, right?

I turned and walked out of the house; letting things take their natural course is one thing, being a lightbulb is another. In the distance I saw several people walking this way; I focused my gaze to see clearly, my heart jolted, and I hurriedly avoided them.

"Young madam, just stop looking for the young master; at this time you won't be able to see him." That was Lan Yan's voice.

During this period, I have done my best to avoid all women related to Qi Ran; partly because I feared being recognized, and also, mainly, I forced out a bitter smile— but for what reason?

"I am his wife, why can't I see him?" Yin Tianxue's voice carried the anger of humiliation, "Quickly tell me where he is now!"

"Wife?" Zi Xuan's arrogant, unrestrained voice rang out: "Don't make people laugh, even that ugly freak is just a substitute, let alone you……"

"Xiao Xuan——" Lan Yan shouted to stop her, "No rudeness toward the young madam!"

Zi Xuan unwillingly muttered a few words; all I heard was Lan Yan speaking in a calm, near‑cold tone, neither hurried nor delayed: "Young madam, no matter how you ask, the young master's whereabouts are not something we servants can know or reveal. I think you're well aware of the palace rule that consorts may not move about freely; young madam, please return."

After saying that, she pulled Zi Xuan and left straight away, completely ignoring the indignant, furious Yin Tianxue and her companions left behind.

"Princess, you…… you don't have to be sad, we……" Cui Er grabbed the trembling, tear‑streaked Yin Tianxue, who was shaking all over, and said heart‑brokenly, "He is unkind, we are unjust; we might as well cooperate……"

"No!" Yin Tianxue panickedly interrupted her, her voice trembling, "We…… we'll just wait a few more days……" The hallway finally fell completely silent; I let out a long breath and stepped out from the darkness. Just now, to conceal my whereabouts, I hadn't dared to breathe even a fraction more; fortunately, I now possess strong inner strength, otherwise Lan Yan and the others would have detected me.

After just a few steps, a person came running toward me, panting, calling my name: "Xiao Ruo, Xiao Ruo, I've finally found you."

"Qiao Yin sister?" I exclaimed, supporting my flushed cheeks as I ran, the out‑of‑breath Qiao Yin asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"The young master is looking for you." Qiao Yin barely steadied her breath, then said, "He seems urgent; you'd better go over quickly."

My heart jolted, I hurriedly said: "Okay, where is he now? I'll go right away!"

Qi Ran is looking for me? What for? Could it be…… there's news about Bu Sha?

Qiao Yin lowered her eyelids and pointed to a residence hidden behind dense trees to the west: "It's right there; from here go straight ahead, then turn left, you'll see a gate with 'Snow Pear Garden' written on it; the young master is inside."

"Thank you, Qiao Yin sister." My heart was anxious, I didn't even bother to notice her expression, just forced a smile and sprinted forward.

Qiao Yin watched my retreating back, the corner of her mouth lifting, she revealed a pitying, mocking, and icy cold smile.

Suddenly, a white flash flashed before her eyes; when she regained her focus, a man in white clothing whiter than snow stood before her, his face bearing an extremely languid, sensual smile.

"Chancellor Bai," a blush crossed Qiao Yin's face as she hurriedly lowered her head, "Sir, the matters you tasked me with have all been completed."

Bai Shengyi indifferently nodded, stepped close to her, suddenly wrapped his arm around her waist, and breathed into her ear: "Then, how should I thank you?"

Qiao Yin's face burned crimson, she pressed her body against his chest, and pouted: "Chancellor Bai just likes to toy with his servants; actually, that woman herself overestimated her abilities, daring to try to seduce the young master…… I, the servant, am merely…… uh……"

Her cherry lips were suddenly sealed tight by kisses; a warm surge spread across her face, moans escaped from her throat. She slowly closed her eyes, wholly indulging in this long‑awaited hot kiss.

Suddenly, she widened her eyes in disbelief, staring at the man who had just been holding her. Her body, having lost its support, gradually went limp, and dark‑red threads of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth……

"Why... why?" Qiao Yin reached out to grab the white hem of the clothing, but her hand ultimately fell limp, her eyes wide open, yet devoid of any vitality.

"To thank you!" Bai Shengyi's lips curled in a faint smile as before; he pulled a porcelain bottle from his bosom, picked out a pinch of powder, and scattered it on Qiao Yin's lips. The powder, upon contact with blood, began to boil and corrode, spreading; after a moment, a strong burnt stench filled the air, yet on the ground only a terrifying set of women's clothing remained. Bai Shengyi gathered up the clothing, dispelled the smoke, and coldly muttered to himself, "That is why I must give you a kiss of death."

He lifted his gaze toward the direction where that girl had just disappeared, "Snow Pear Garden..." In his eyes, as deep as a demonic pool, surged an incomparably ruthless, bloodthirsty divine light, and he said lightly, "Apart from Bu Sha, anyone who enters... will be killed without mercy! Then, what will become of the woman entrusted to you by Bu Sha?"

(End of chapter)