Chapter 32: Turning Danger into Safety

Jun Zijin returned to Luoshan Courtyard and had just dozed off for a moment when she saw Mama Zhou come to report that there was news of Mama Dong.

It had been less than two days since Jun Zijin returned to the manor that she had instructed Mama Zhou to inquire about Mama Dong. Hearing that there was news today, a flash of pleasant surprise crossed her eyes, and she hurriedly said:

"Tell me quickly."

Mama Zhou respectfully replied: "This old servant learned through inquiries that Mama Dong is currently in a village on the outskirts of the city. It’s just..." Mama Zhou hesitated, stopping mid-sentence.

"Just what? Speak freely." Jun Zijin said urgently.

Only then did Mama Zhou continue: "There is a household in that village that moved in on the same day as Mama Dong, living right next door to her. A few days ago, they seemed to have had contact with A-Fang, the maid by the First Lady's side."

Jun Zijin frowned. "A-Fang? She knew things wouldn't go so smoothly. So, all these years, Mama Dong has been under the surveillance of the Wu woman. With the Wu woman so nervous, the matter is likely not simple. Now that she has returned to the manor, the Wu woman can no longer sit still. It seems she must go personally to bring Mama Dong back."

Just then, a figure flickered outside the window. Jun Zijin's expression turned cold. She remained calm and said:

"Prepare yourself; we shall set out tomorrow to bring Mama Dong back to the manor."

The figure outside the window flashed away. Jun Zijin gave Mama Zhou a look. Mama Zhou quietly glanced out the window and shook her head.

Jun Zijin raised an eyebrow and said:

"Go and prepare now; we are going today!"

Xiao Lian had been sent by the First Lady to Luoshan Courtyard for over half a month, yet she had never managed to uncover any useful information to report back. Her mistress might not ask, but a servant could not ignore what her mistress had entrusted to her. Fearing the First Lady's punishment, she had been feeling anxious, but today, she finally had something to report.

Xiao Lian hurried before the First Lady, keeping her head low and not daring to look her in the eye. Everyone knew the First Lady was in a foul mood today and avoided her, but she had to report this matter in time; if she delayed the First Lady's affairs, the First Lady would never let her off.

The First Lady was leisurely drinking tea. She glanced at Xiao Lian and said slowly:

"Well? Finally have some news?"

Xiao Lian hurriedly revealed that Jun Zijin was going to fetch Mama Dong back to the manor, as well as the suspected surveillance of Mama Dong by someone from the First Lady's side.

The First Lady's hand paused. She set her teacup down heavily, her face gloomy.

"Hmph, she certainly acts fast."

"Were you discovered?" the First Lady asked Xiao Lian.

"Replying to the First Lady, this servant was extremely careful and was not discovered."

A cold sneer curled the corners of the First Lady's mouth.

"Since that is the case, then don't blame me for being ruthless." She absolutely could not let Mama Dong return to the manor alive; that matter... Mama Dong likely knew about it. She regretted not having finished Mama Dong off completely back then.

The First Lady summoned Mama Xue and whispered a few words to her, after which Mama Xue took her orders and left.

On Jun Zijin's side, she was rushing toward the outskirts of the city with Mama Zhou and the others. Just as they arrived at Mama Dong's residence, they smelled the scent of kerosene; someone was burning Mama Dong's house. Jun Zijin took a few strides forward and shouted angrily:

"Who are you? How dare you commit arson here!"

The arsonist did not answer, only accelerating the movements of their hands. Jun Zijin could not care about much else; she snatched the torch away and gripped the person's throat with her other hand:

"Speak! Where is Mama Dong?"

This person was Li San, who lived next door and was monitoring Mama Dong. Held by the throat by Jun Zijin, he could not resist and wailed in his heart, pointing his finger toward the house. Li San had received a message via carrier pigeon from the First Lady ordering him not to keep Mama Dong alive; she must not live past tomorrow. He had not expected that before tomorrow even arrived, someone would move so quickly. A wave of despair washed over Li San; he feared the one who wouldn't live past tomorrow was himself.

Jun Zijin struck the man's neck, pushing the unconscious Li San to the side; whether this person lived or died was not her concern. Jun Zijin turned and rushed into the house, carrying the bound Mama Dong on her back, and ran out. The fire grew more intense, with thick smoke billowing. Mama Zhou and the others scrambled to untie the ropes on Mama Dong, covering their noses and mouths with wet cloths. Just as they ran out of the courtyard, they saw a group of men in black emerging from all sides. Jun Zijin counted them—not one more, not one less—exactly ten, and all of them skilled. Very well, Jun Zijin thought to herself; with a fire behind them and thieves in front, it seemed the Wu woman had spared no expense this time.

Jun Zijin handed Mama Dong to Mama Zhou and Xiao He, whispering: "Hide behind the carriage."

Before anyone could respond, Jun Zijin pulled out a tranquilizer gun. Ever since she arrived in this world, she had encountered danger at every turn, so she had thought to find a convenient hidden weapon. Using the anesthetic she had developed, she had just finished tinkering with a tranquilizer gun. Today was the perfect time to verify the results of her work over these past few days and test the skills of this body she had been training for half a month.

The men in black saw that they were only dealing with a young girl and a few unarmed maids and elderly women, so they relaxed their vigilance. Seeing the young girl take out a strange object, they were very curious; if not for their status, they might have asked aloud.

A cold, imperceptible sneer curled Jun Zijin's lips. There were many opponents, so she could not be reckless. Before they could react, Jun Zijin raised the tranquilizer gun, aimed at the two men in front, and pulled the trigger. Those two men in black fell without even a groan.

The other men in black were stunned, then swarmed forward. Jun Zijin's figure was like lightning; she instantly closed in on the leading man in black, pressed the tranquilizer gun against his waist, pulled the trigger, and took down another. Jun Zijin remained unhurried, nimbly weaving through the crowd, the tranquilizer gun firing repeatedly. In the blink of an eye, three more fell.

With four remaining, Jun Zijin sneered. At this moment, the leader of the men in black shouted, changing their strategy to attack in pairs, looking out for one another.

Jun Zijin slowed her pace slightly. "Not stupid," Jun Zijin praised.

Suddenly, she tossed the tranquilizer gun into the air. The men in black instinctively looked up. Jun Zijin took the opportunity to draw two daggers from her sleeves, crouched to slash at one man's ankle, and then used the momentum to leap up and kick another over.

The remaining two saw the situation was bad and wanted to flee. Just then, the sound of horse hooves and shouting came from afar; it was the government officials arriving. It turned out Jun Zijin had long since had her maid quietly report to the authorities.

"The timing is just right," Jun Zijin lifted the corner of her lips.

The men in black had nowhere to run and surrendered.

Jun Zijin breathed a sigh of relief and walked toward Mama Dong and the others. The two mamas and Xiao He were stunned, unable to recover for a long time.

Xiao He was even more impressed to the point of prostration. Although this girl had witnessed her young lady's remarkable skills last time, today's display was truly supernatural. Xiao He was secretly happy; fortunately, the young lady had brought her today, and she would have at least half a month's worth of conversation material upon returning. Jun Zijin, however, was not satisfied with this body; if the enemies hadn't underestimated her today, it would have been difficult to deal with them. It seemed she needed to train harder.

Mama Dong and Mama Zhou came to their senses, their eyes filled with relief; they had finally turned danger into safety today.

The government runners looked at each other in dismay. Who would have thought that the Jun family's good-for-nothing second young lady would have such remarkable skills? They had picked up a huge bargain today.

Jun Zijin handed the thieves over to the authorities and took everyone straight back to the manor. It was getting late, and they had to return to the city before dark.

Because of this, Jun Zijin’s reputation soared once again, but that is a story for another time.