Chapter 11: The Mouth Is Quite Tough

Just then, a sharp whistle sounded. Li Zhi'an's expression shifted slightly; unable to attend to Cheng Xi, he vaulted onto his Jade Qilin Horse and galloped away.

Cheng Xi watched his retreating back for a long time before finally lifting her feet to leave.

As dusk approached, Cheng Xi returned to the manor with the items she had purchased.

She walked all the way to the hanging flower gate and saw Mulan hiding in a corner waiting for her. Seeing her return, Mulan hurried over, her face deathly pale. "Eldest Miss."

"What are you doing here?"

"Eldest Miss, it's bad, something has happened," Mulan said in a low voice.

Cheng Xi asked as she walked, "What happened?"

"Jinxiang is missing."

Cheng Xi's footsteps faltered. "Missing? What do you mean?"

"After Eldest Miss left the manor, this servant and Jinxiang were tidying the courtyard. Later, Jinxiang's younger brother sent word inside, saying her mother was not doing well and asking her to go back and see her. Jinxiang was anxious and worried about her mother, so she went home.

But by late afternoon, she still hadn't returned. Zhao Mama and I were both worried. Zhao Mama told me to stay and wait for Eldest Miss while she went to Jinxiang's house to find her. Who would have thought her brother would say Jinxiang never went home at all..."

Cheng Xi's expression darkened slightly. "Go find something that Jinxiang has used."

"Yes." Mulan ran back at full speed and soon returned with a handkerchief Jinxiang used. On the plain-colored handkerchief, a single red plum blossom was embroidered in one corner.

When she returned, she saw Eldest Miss holding a burning stick of incense. She handed over the handkerchief, and she saw Eldest Miss wave the handkerchief in front of the incense. Then, a strange thing happened.

The incense smoke, which had been rising straight up, suddenly changed direction. Cheng Xi immediately said in a deep voice, "Prepare the carriage."

"Yes." Mulan immediately ran toward the carriage house.

Cheng Xi exited the main gate of Cheng Fu, where the carriage was already waiting. Mulan lifted the carriage curtain and helped Eldest Miss inside.

Cheng Xi chased the coachman off the carriage and drove it away herself.

The carriage left the city. Mulan sat in the carriage, shaken pale by the bumps, and held onto the carriage window tightly to steady herself.

Outside the city were vast farmlands, the roads winding with many forks. Mulan watched as Eldest Miss checked the direction of the incense smoke at every intersection.

It was also strange; despite such a bumpy carriage ride, the stick of incense stood there safe and sound.

Not knowing how long they had been traveling, the carriage stopped outside a remote village. This village was built in a mountain hollow, desolate and uninhabited, overgrown with weeds, clearly abandoned for a long time.

But now, a small path had been trampled through the weeds, leading straight to the abandoned village.

"Eldest Miss..." Mulan was a bit afraid. The sky was gradually darkening, and the pitch-black houses looked like giant beasts capable of swallowing people whole.

Cheng Xi strode forward. Mulan gritted her teeth and followed; she could not let Eldest Miss take risks alone.

As their footsteps drew closer to the abandoned house, sounds gradually drifted over.

Inside the house, Mulan was tied up on the ground, a large gash on her forehead. Fresh blood flowed down through her hair onto the floor, and her disheveled hair obscured most of her face.

"Stinking girl, you've got a tough mouth!"

"I told you, you're still too soft-hearted. Chop off one of her arms and see if she talks!"

"Exactly. Let's see if her mouth is tougher or the blade is. We can't delay any longer; the agreed time is almost up. We haven't gotten a single word out of her that you were told to ask—how are we going to answer for this? Do you still want the five hundred taels of silver?"

The leader of the men had a scar on his left cheek, running from the corner of his eye all the way to his neck. He held a Long Blade, squatted down, and stared at Mulan, patting her face with the back of the blade. "One last chance. If you don't talk, I'll strip you bare and throw you in front of the Cheng Fu gate."

Mulan was frozen with fear, her face pale, yet she bit her teeth together tightly, refusing to say a single word.

"You won't shed tears until you see the coffin." The scarred man set the blade aside and tore with both hands. Mulan's collar was instantly shredded, revealing half of her bodice. "You do have a nice hide..."

The scarred man's gaze changed, staring stickily and greedily at Mulan, the smile on his face becoming lewd.

"It would be a pity to just throw you back like this. Let us brothers have some fun first..." The scarred man laughed loudly and reached out to grab Mulan's bodice.

Mulan trembled all over, struggling to dodge backward.

"Stinking bitch, what are you dodging for?" The scarred man yanked Mulan back and prepared to slap her across the face.

Just then, with a "bang," the wooden door was kicked open. Under the thin night, a woman stood there.

Mulan's eyes were blurred with blood. She struggled to open a slit and saw the person who had arrived, her body stiffening. "Eldest Miss... run..."

Li Zhi'an had been chasing the Four-Eyed Demon Fox with his men. When they reached this mountain hollow, a thick scent of blood drifted over with the wind. Without hesitation, he led his men to pursue in that direction.

Li Zhi'an's pace was extremely fast, the Tongtian Division Guards following closely behind, all of them on high alert, Long Blades drawn.

When they chased all the way to the wooden house, they saw the wooden door shattered and lying to the side. Cold moonlight spilled down, and inside, several men lay scattered on the floor, blood splattered everywhere.

Only one person stood there holding a blade, blood dripping from the tip onto the ground, drop by drop.

Jiang Boyu couldn't say a word for a long time. Cheng... Eldest Miss?

Seeming to hear footsteps, Cheng Xi turned her head.

Li Zhi'an's dark pupils collided with Cheng Xi's eyes. In that instant, her eyes were like a bottomless abyss, yet so calm they didn't seem human.

With a "clatter," the Long Blade was tossed casually onto the ground by Cheng Xi, making a crisp sound.

Li Zhi'an watched as Cheng Xi walked toward him step by step. That face, which usually carried a faint smile, was now icy and silent.

"Chief of Tongtian, what a coincidence. We meet again."

Li Zhi'an did not speak.

The quiet space was broken by this sentence. Jiang Boyu let out a slight sigh of relief. "Eldest Miss Cheng, what is going on here?"

"I wish to report a crime. My maid was lured out of Cheng Fu, abducted to this place, and they attempted to murder her."

What?

Jiang Boyu was about to say that the Tongtian Division did not handle such cases when he heard their Chief say: "Eldest Miss Cheng should go to the Dali Temple or Yingtian Prefecture to report such a case. The Tongtian Division does not handle these."

Cheng Xi tilted her head slightly to look at Li Zhi'an. "Chief of Tongtian is still out and about in the middle of the night. I suppose you haven't caught the Four-Eyed Demon Fox yet?"

Li Zhi'an suddenly remembered that this afternoon, Cheng Xi told him she could make a type of Incense Bait to help him lure out the Four-Eyed Demon Fox.

"Take the people away! Open a case immediately!" Li Zhi'an said with a dark face. No one had ever dared to threaten him like this!

Cheng Xi, you are very good!

Jiang Boyu was stunned, but seeing the Chief's face so ugly, he didn't dare say a word and immediately ordered the Division Guards to step forward and bind the men.

It didn't matter until they started arresting them; Jiang Boyu's expression changed. Good heavens, the wounds on these bandits... he suddenly felt a chill in his lower abdomen.

Cheng Xi looked at Li Zhi'an, "This young woman will await the good news from the Director."

"When will you give me the item?" Li Zhi'an asked, staring at Cheng Xi with a dark face.

"When you, my lord, step through the gates of Cheng Fu."

Mulan had already hoisted the unconscious Jinxiang onto her back, following behind the Eldest Miss as they walked out.

The night wind whipped up the hem of Cheng Xi's skirt, and her cold gaze turned toward the direction of Cheng Fu.