Chapter 23: God of Slaughter

A single glance could determine a person's life or death—truly the God of Slaughter of all Qi Guo, Prince Li Mo Junyan.

The crowd knelt prostrate on the ground, not even daring to breathe heavily.

"This Prince has not returned to the capital for a long time, and who would have expected that the moment I come back, you would make such a racket, disturbing This Prince's sweet dreams. Tell me, what punishment do you deserve?"

"Your Highness, it was those lowly commoners who didn't know any better—it had nothing to do with us!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Mo Junyan's lips curled slightly. With a flick of his finger, the next instant, the steward who had just spoken collapsed to the ground. Blood dripped down a long sword, and the man lost all signs of life.

Seeing this, everyone present drew in a sharp breath.

God of Slaughter!

Truly the God of Slaughter!

Taking a person's life in the space of a single thought.

Chi Nan Yi pressed her thin lips together, and just as she was about to look up at the man, she heard him say faintly, "You, you speak."

Who?

Just then, a pair of black boots came to a halt before her.

Following the boots into her line of sight was a long sword that kept dripping blood.

How could the Chi Family father and son have ever seen a spectacle like this? Their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

They couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

Yet their bodies did not budge an inch, shielding Chi Nan Yi firmly behind them.

Watching the two of their movements, Chi Nan Yi's lips curved slightly upward.

"Your Highness, it was they who demanded an exorbitant price on the spot, wanting to sell us the carriage at an outrageous amount, and they also intended to act indecently toward this humble woman, getting handsy. I beg the Prince to uphold justice and grant this commoner fairness."

Chi Nan Yi spoke with ringing clarity. Mo Junyan's gaze fell upon her as one hand stroked the thumb ring on his thumb, and he said faintly, "Which hand?"

The crowd had not yet processed it, and for a moment no one answered.

His motion of turning the thumb ring paused, his brow full of impatience. A guard stepped up to the young servant and said coldly, "Did you not hear the Prince's words?"

"I... I heard, this commoner..."

"Forget it, both hands then!"

As Mo Junyan's words fell, a flash of cold light was seen, and both hands were directly chopped off by the long sword.

Blood splattered across the ground, and the young servant's wails echoed through the entire street.

"Tsk, noisy."

The guard's blade rose and fell, and the young servant lost his life as well.

The crowd did not even dare to breathe heavily, terrified of being targeted by this living King of Hell—severed hands, severed feet, severed necks—who could endure that?

"Continue."

Chi Nan Yi knew this sentence was directed at her, so she recounted today's events concisely.

Mo Junyan watched her kneeling on the ground and said in a low voice, "This Prince's eyes will grow tired looking down. Rise."

"Many thanks, Your Highness." The reason for being told to rise was truly... distinctive.

"You mean these young servants lined their own pockets, bribed the stewards to inflate the selling price, and disrupted the market trade—is that correct?"

Chi Nan Yi nodded. "Yet even a mere young servant was this brazen. I wonder..."

"I wonder what their master must be like." Mo Junyan glanced at those stewards shaking like sieves. "Whose young servant is this?"

"To... to reply to Your Highness, it, it belongs to the Zhao Family of Jingcheng."

"This Zhao Family has no need to continue existing."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The guard lowered the carriage curtain, and Prince Li's procession continued forward.

Only when the procession turned the street corner and disappeared from sight did the crowd collapse to the ground as though drained of all strength.

On the entire street, only Chi Nan Yi remained standing.

A faint smile rested on Chi Nan Yi's face—this Prince Li was surprisingly quite a decent fellow!

"Yi'er, Yi'er." After Chi's father stood up, the lingering fear remained. His hands trembling, he said, "You scared your father to death. Are you all right?"

"Father, I'm fine."

Just then, one of the stewards stepped forward and said obsequiously, "This young lady, do you still wish to purchase a carriage?"

"Of course we do. Does the steward have a connection?"

"Yes, yes, yes. I have a younger brother who sells carriages on another street—all top quality. If you need one, I can take you there to buy one, and it will absolutely be the lowest, lowest price."

Hearing this, Chi Nan Yi nodded. "Fine, but you had best not try any tricks."

"What is the young lady saying? How would I dare try any tricks on you?"

"Yi'er, let's not buy a carriage. Today, a carriage purchase has already cost lives—it's inauspicious!"

Inauspicious?

How is it inauspicious?

The ones who died were all parasites—this was exceedingly auspicious.

Chi Nan Yi whispered into Chi's father's ear, "Father, today we encountered a noble person upon going out—we have the utmost good fortune."

With that, she said to the steward, "Let's go, to buy a carriage."

Arriving at another street, the people on the street were all discussing something—needless to say, it must be what had just happened.

The steward spotted his younger brother about to pull a carriage home and hurried forward. "In broad daylight, why are you leaving already?"

"Brother, I heard everything. Prince Li has returned to the capital and has specifically ordered the killing of carriage-selling merchants. If I don't leave, am I supposed to stay here and wait for death?"

Hearing this, Chi Nan Yi couldn't help but sigh—so this was how rumors came about.

Though Prince Li's methods were a bit cruel, the ones he killed were all evildoers who relied on their status to oppress the common people and throw their weight around. How did it become, after going around the grapevine, that he wanted to kill carriage-selling merchants?

Ah, brother, don't stop me.

How much silver for this carriage?

Upon hearing someone wanted to buy, that person stretched out a finger: "Ten taels, carriage and horse included, no bargaining."

Ten taels!

That's really a profit.

Chi Nan Yi hurriedly handed the silver over: "Now this carriage belongs to us."

"Take it, take it!" The steward, seeing his younger brother so cheap, sold the carriage and couldn't help sighing.

Chi Nan Yi bought what he wanted at a low price, his face full of smiles, he turned to the steward and said: "Thank you."

"Small matter, small matter, miss, I have a request that may be inconvenient; I don't know if it's abrupt."

"What matter?"

"Today's affair, the Prince likely will investigate to the end; if it is traced to me, I don't know if I may ask Miss to speak a good word for me."

"Sure enough, it's for this matter."

"Rest assured, if the Prince sends people to my home to inquire, I will not fail the favor you showed us today by bringing us to buy the carriage."

"Thank you."

Chi Nan Yi secretly thought: Now they are about to leave here; that whatever Prince Li, probably won't see again; even if Prince Li is idle, he wouldn't send people a thousand miles to investigate such a trivial matter at her home; after all, given that ancestor's temperament, as long as he is displeased, just kill him directly.

Whether this steward can live or not depends on his own fate.

Chi Nan Yi and Chi Father got onto the carriage; Chi Zhiqiu held the whip, his eyes full of excitement.

Carriage!

They actually have a carriage now!

Besides the city gate, Chi Nan Yi watched Jingcheng grow ever more distant, unable to help feeling myriad emotions.

In the previous life, the original owner died worn out in this great city; in this life, I have finally left.

Not only that, she also stole the Minister's Residence's vast wealth; this feeling is really exhilarating!

Meng Qinghe still doesn't know that the Minister's Residence is now just an empty shell; if she knew, her expression would surely be wonderful.