Chapter 259: Luring the Tiger from the Mountain

It was Ye Huanhuan!

Ye Huanhuan showed a cold smile, "Ye Qingran, I didn't expect you to actually come! It seems you've gone mad looking for that child, huh?"

"Ye Huanhuan, is this even interesting?"

"Hahaha~" Ye Huanhuan laughed up at the sky.

"You wanted to know the whereabouts of your other child, right? Let me tell you, he's already dead—oh, I forgot to mention, he's a boy too. You were carrying twins; if he were still alive, they'd probably look identical! But he's dead. The sky was so cold; he must have frozen to death, then been torn apart by the beasts of Jiu Fu Lin! A newborn infant is so fragile; those beasts could swallow him in one bite! Hahaha~"

Ye Huanhuan grew more agitated as she spoke, and more frantic!

Ye Qingran clenched her teeth tightly, telling herself not to let Ye Huanhuan easily stir her emotions.

But the thought of that child made her lose control!

"You've had enough!"

Ye Qingran let out a clear whistling sound.

"Not enough! Still far from enough! Ye Qingran, you're a worthless trash, how could you ever earn the Crown Prince's favor? The Crown Prince is mine! It's because of you that I lost the Crown Princess's position! You broom‑star! You scoundrel!"

"A trash, huh?" Ye Qingran gave a low smile. Then, under Ye Huanhuan's shocked gaze, she revealed her power.

When that familiar yet strange light reflected in Ye Huanhuan's eyes, her gaze suddenly froze.

"How could this be, impossible…"

Ye Qingran, clearly a trash with no Spiritual Root, how could she possess such a high cultivation level?

Ye Huanhuan seemed struck by a massive blow and collapsed onto the ground.

"So, between us, who really is the trash?!"

"Ye Qingran, so you've been hiding all along…"

Ye Qingran smiled, "Yes, otherwise, how could I watch you all jump around like clowns?"

A surge rose in Ye Huanhuan's chest; she couldn't hold back and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

She bared her teeth, showing blood‑stained fangs.

"Ye Qingran, you destroyed me, and I won't let you have it easy! I curse you to never find another child!"

Ye Huanhuan went hysterical, making the already quiet and terrifying manor even more dreadful.

Ye Qingran's expression changed; she raised her hand and with a massive force flipped Ye Huanhuan onto the ground.

Ye Huanhuan clutched her chest, struggled to rise, like an indestructible little cockroach, and her gaze at Ye Qingran brimmed with endless hatred.

After a while, she suddenly grinned, "Hahaha, Ye Qingran, your smugness won't last long. That child of yours will die soon! Both of your children will leave you, and you'll never reunite with them!"

Ye Qingran's eyes flickered violently.

Only then did she realize she'd been tricked!

Lure the tiger away from the mountain!

Ye Qingran didn't waste any more time with Ye Huanhuan; with a single move she knocked her to the ground, flashed, and shot toward the direction of Ye Residence.

Just as Ye Qingran's first step left the ground, a figure silently entered Mo Xiaohu's room; the person wore a mask, took out a Talisman, opened it, and created an Illusion Realm.

Sleeping soundly, Mo Xiaohu saw his mother walking toward him, picking him up and smiling gently. Mo Xiaohu returned a cute smile, and fell back into a peaceful sleep.

The person held Mo Xiaohu, looked down at his tranquil sleeping face, a dark glint flashing in their eyes, then silently slipped out of the room and vanished outside.

Ye Qingran raced back to Ting Yu Xuan without pause, then—

Han Xing Leng Yue, startled by Ye Qingran's movements, also ran over and found Mo Xiaohu missing.

"Miss, where's Xiao Hu?"

【7】 The two asked and immediately sensed something was wrong.

After they finished asking, they realized something was off.

Ye Qingran glanced at the sleeping Fu Qianchen, tucked his blanket, then left. After the door shut, she coldly spat, "Xiao Hu was kidnapped!"

Their faces turned pale, and they knelt on the ground.

"Miss, we…"

Ye Qingran lowered her eyes, "It's not your business; I was careless and fell for the Lure‑the‑Tiger‑away‑from‑the‑Mountain scheme. Now, you must immediately muster forces to find Xiao Hu's whereabouts, especially at Ling Qingwu's side! Even if you have to dig three feet into Xiliang City, you must bring them out!"

Han Xing Leng Yue took the order and soon, including the Medicine King Pavilion, all forces under Ye Qingran began searching for Mo Xiaohu's whereabouts.

Ye Qingran went to look for Ling Qingwu.

The Xuan Yuan Sword Sect has a palace in Xiliang City, and Ling Qingwu lives there.

It seemed she knew Ye Qingran would come, and she waited leisurely.

Not long after, a figure gracefully descended; Ling Qingwu turned, smiling like a flower.

Her exquisite elegance starkly contrasted Ye Qingran's frantic desperation!

"Ye Qingran, you finally arrived."

Ye Qingran was enveloped in a cold, snow‑like aura, her eyes icy.

"Don't look at me with that kind of gaze; strangers would think I'd done something unspeakably cruel to you!"

Ling Qingwu smiled faintly, feeling immensely pleased.

Since arriving in Xiliang City, she had repeatedly saved face before Ye Qingran, causing her humiliation and ridicule. This time, she would make Ye Qingran repay a thousandfold!

"My child?" After a while, Ye Qingran finally asked slowly.

"Your child?" Ling Qingwu showed surprise, "You have a child? You're not married; where did the child come from?"

A few Xuan Yuan disciples nearby covered their mouths and giggled, "Senior sister, didn't you forget? Ye Qingran once slept with a Wild Man; having a child is quite normal!"

Ling Qingwu let out an "oh" and nodded knowingly.

Ye Qingran remained motionless, as if already accustomed to such ridicule.

Ling Qingwu felt a slight anger rise. She despised Ye Qingran's unflinching composure in the face of a mountain‑crashing disaster; she wanted to see Ye Qingran terrified, panicked, begging for mercy!

"Ye Qingran, so those two children weren't all National Master's, right? One of them must be yours, right? What was that child's name again? Oh, was it Xiao Hu?"

Ye Qingran's brows twitched.

This secret, besides her and the National Master's people on both sides, only Ye Huanhuan knows. Obviously, it was Ye Huanhuan who told this secret to Ling Qingwu.

"So what if it is?"

Ling Qingwu felt a twinge of jealousy, and spoke sarcastically: "National Master truly treats you well, even announcing to everyone that that wild offspring is his child just to save your face!" How proud that man is, she had come to know through these few contacts. Never would she have thought, proud as he is, he would go to such lengths for Ye Qingran.

Ye Qingran, what does she rely on to enjoy so much of that man's favor?

His favor can only be hers, Ling Qingwu's!

Thinking, Ling Qingwu's eyes flashed with malice.

Ye Qingran, your child is really cute, that little face—just a light scratch with a knife and it's cut, tsk tsk…

While saying this, Ling Qingwu observed Ye Qingran's reaction; seeing her aura grow heavier and her complexion worsen, she realized she had grasped Ye Qingran's weak point!

After all, who in this world doesn't have a weak point?

Ye Qingran's weak point is her child!

"What do you have against me? He's so small, he's innocent!" Ye Qingran lowered her voice, suppressing the surging anger in her chest.

"Just a wild offspring, what innocence to speak of?" Ling Qingwu gave a cold smile, full of contempt.