Chapter 290

Li Qingluo stared straight at Zheng Lingzhou as he turned around.

Really him?

Even after guessing who he was, Li Qingluo remained furious.

He kept meddling in her affairs; last time, if it weren't for him showing up and stirring trouble, Sui'er wouldn't have been killed!

Also, a few days ago he surely suspected her identity.

Or rather, without hesitation he threw his weapon and charged at her, saving Princess Qinyu and drawing Prince Su's hand away?

Of course, she also had no qualms about wanting to kill him!

Both would unhesitatingly try to kill each other, so Li Qingluo couldn't fathom why he sought her out.

His attire today finally didn't look like an assassin's, nor cross-dressing; he appeared as a proper young master, suave and handsome, like a jade-faced gentleman.

Li Qingluo had no time to admire his looks, she blurted: "Where are my people?"

Zheng Lingzhou wore a smile, striding over: "Luo'er, you've finally come."

"Indeed, you are my disciple, Zheng Lingzhou; your courage is not small!"

Li Qingluo drew a short dagger, pointing at Zheng Lingzhou and asked again: "Shut up! I won't acknowledge having a master like you."

"Where are my people? Since I came alone, shouldn't you hand them over first? Or did you harm them?"

"If a single hair of theirs is harmed, I will fight you to the death today!"

Zheng Lingzhou's steps halted, his face darkened: "Luo'er, I've always told you to be more obedient."

"But you repeatedly doubt my good intentions."

"Since they are yours, how could I bear to harm them?"

"Rest assured, they're all living even better than before!"

"If you don't believe me, come with me."

Zheng Lingzhou walked ahead, Li Qingluo followed behind.

She hid the dagger again in her sleeve.

She certainly knew Zheng Lingzhou wouldn't easily release them.

He had tried to capture her several times; this time he used a scheme to seize someone, finally luring her here.

This time she would see what his intentions really were!

Feigning mysticism, cross-dressing, even attempting multiple times to take her away.

Li Qingluo had always sensed he harbored no goodwill.

After all, the children of his legitimate elder sister Aunt Zheng were mostly killed by her birth mother, Qu Shi.

How could they not hate the Qu Shi lineage?

Following Zheng Lingzhou to a semi-underground prison, Li Qingluo saw Deng Mama and Hudie through the wooden bars.

She immediately lunged forward, shouting: "Deng Mama, Hudie! Are you both alright?"

Mama already had an unhealed injury; this time she came along out of worry.

Who would have thought she still fell into Zheng Lingzhou's net?

Deng Mama lay half-reclined, unable to rise, tears streaming as she cried: "Miss, you… you came… I am the old servant, I have implicated you… I should just die to avoid troubling you…"

Li Qingluo: "Don't talk nonsense! I still need you to serve me for years, attending by my side. When you're old, I'll give you a large estate to spend your twilight years."

Hudie was chained; seeing Li Qingluo and Zheng Lingzhou appear together, she became violently agitated, jumping up and down.

"Why have you chained her?! Is this what you call 'living well'?!"

Li Qingluo turned and glared angrily at Zheng Lingzhou.

Zheng Lingzhou also sighed helplessly: "Luo'er, this person is a monster. Besides biting one of my subordinates to death, several others were gravely injured because of her."

"Not killing her is already me showing leniency for your sake, granting special mercy."

"What more do you want from me?"

Li Qingluo: "I want to ask you, Zheng Lingzhou, what exactly are you planning?"

"You've kidnapped my people and summoned me here; surely you don't just want to chat a few meaningless words, do you?"

Zheng Lingzhou gave a slight smile: "Don't rush, Luo'er."

"First settle in peace at Jingyun Shan Zhuang; I will gradually explain things to you..."

He said this while waving his hand.

Then a group of servants appeared: "Miss, we will attend to your return to rest."

Li Qingluo snorted: "Zheng Lingzhou, I'll wait to see what scheming tricks you have!"

Zheng Lingzhou looked aggrieved, spreading his hands: "Luo'er, why do you always think the worst of me? I truly regard you as my beloved niece, wanting only to be family."

"And what else could I possibly gain from a young lady like you?"

Li Qingluo didn't believe his nonsense at all.

But she currently had no urge to leave.

"I can stay, but you must first release those two! Also, summon a physician to treat my Mama's injury!"

"Otherwise, I will turn this place upside down!"

Zheng Lingzhou indeed understood her stubbornness.

Otherwise he wouldn't have needed so many captures to finally seize her.

He gave a gentle smile: "What's the difficulty?"

"Just a sickly Mama and a beast-like monster—could she possibly lead them to break out of Jingyun Shan Zhuang?"

Li Qingluo was granted a vast courtyard.

It was three times the size of the Hongfenguan she lived in at the Jiangjun Fu, and twice the size of the Free Abode formed by joining two courtyards of the Xiuli Jiangjun Fu.

The courtyard also had a fake mountain and a fish pond, with a large swing.

Li Qingluo had just settled in when Deng Mama and Hudie were brought over.

"This madman, why does he only attack those servants? Could it be that she hates all these despicable men in the world?"

"Hehe, that's also fine. Look, when she sees us, she doesn't go mad either."

Hudie's abnormality was noticed, and it wasn't exactly difficult.

Li Qingluo heard the voice and hurried out; Deng Mama was carried back, while Hudie still walked on all fours like a small animal.

As soon as she saw Li Qingluo, her eyes lit up instantly.

She was about to leap forward excitedly, but there was still an iron chain tied around her neck.

Hudie had only taken a few steps forward when the iron chain yanked her back hard, and she stumbled and fell to the ground.

Her face showed extreme pain as she grabbed the iron chain with both hands and began to whine.

Li Qingluo ran over and shouted loudly, "Let her go!"

The servant girl who had led Hudie over replied respectfully, "Miss, this monster drinks human blood; we dare not release her."

Li Qingluo drew the dagger from her sleeve and pressed it against the neck of the servant girl holding Hudie.

"Believe it or not, I'll kill you!"

"She is mine; since your master ordered you to return her to me, you have no right to lock her up like an animal!"

"Release her!"

The servant girl then hurriedly threw out the key.

Li Qingluo picked up the key and quickly unlocked the iron chain on Hudie's neck; Hudie rushed forward and clung to her leg, lifting her head with a pitiful, wronged look.

Seeing Hudie's neck rubbed raw and bloody, Li Qingluo felt a pang of heartache.

She stroked Hudie's bald head and gently soothed, "It's okay; with me here, no one will dare to wrong you again."

"I will protect you."

Hudie tilted her head and then smiled: "Hu... Hudie?"

Li Qingluo also smiled: "Yes, your name is Hudie."

She took Hudie's hand and turned to go inside, leaving only: "Everyone who wants to live, no men may come near this courtyard even half a step!"

After the doctor examined Deng Mama, he said the injury was not serious, just some splits; reapplying medicine and drinking the herbal decoction would be enough.

As for Hudie's neck wound, the doctor also tossed over a bottle of trauma medicine and then hurried away.

Li Qingluo had Hudie temporarily locked in another room so Deng Mama could be seen; at this moment she entered with the ointment and saw Hudie waiting obediently.

She opened the medicine bottle and called Hudie over: "I'll apply the medicine for you."

Hudie blinked her eyes and crawled over; Li Qingluo applied the cool ointment to her neck, and she winced.

Li Qingluo asked, "Does it hurt a bit?"

Hudie nodded with a wronged expression.

Li Qingluo said, "Endure it a little; I'll blow on it for you."

After blowing a few breaths, Hudie felt comfortable and narrowed her eyes again.

Li Qingluo couldn't help but smile.

"Hudie, I've noticed you've become a bit prettier lately."

The scars on her face had improved a little, she had eaten well, basked in the sun, and her complexion naturally improved.

"It's just a pity about your teeth… I don't know if there's any way to fix them."

"And your hair—go back and let the Luo Shen Doctor think of a way to see if it can grow back."

"Your mother is an absolute beauty, and your father must have been remarkably handsome when young… so you, too, will surely be beautiful."

Li Qingluo thought of her former self.

Deep down, her pity for Hudie grew stronger.

"Although your parents bear heavy sins, you are blameless. If it weren't for her selfishly giving birth to you, you wouldn't even have to suffer this ordeal in the mortal world… just like me, who never wanted to come to this world."

Hudie didn't really understand what she was saying.

Nevertheless, she tilted her head and listened very attentively.

Sensing Li Qingluo's low mood, Hudie voluntarily placed her face on Li Qingluo's lap and then reached out to pat her back.

Li Qingluo felt her comfort and smiled: "By rights, you're my elder, but let's not talk about that—you are Hudie."

Hudie suddenly became happy again, holding up her hands and replying, "Hudie."

Here, Li Qingluo and her three servants settled down.

Zheng Lingzhou's steps became much lighter.

Jingchuan came out from the corner and blocked him: "Uncle. You tricked Luo'er into coming to Jingyun Shan Zhuang?"

Seeing Jingchuan, Zheng Lingzhou was pleased: "Xiao Chuan, you're feeling better today? You can actually come out of your room for a walk."

"But how can it be called a trick?"

"Uncle merely used some methods—who made her refuse to obey?"

Zheng Lingzhou said this and reached out to support Jingchuan.

Jingchuan, however, grabbed him tightly with both hands.

"Uncle, release Luo'er!"

"If you intend to trade Luo'er's life for mine, I will surely kill myself before you carry this out!"

Zheng Lingzhou's face darkened instantly upon hearing this: "You! You wretched creature!"

"I did all this with your mother, wasn't it for you?"

"We have schemed for years, waiting for this very day!"

「If it weren't for the Master of Yun Valley having examined the birth characters of the remaining descendants of the Li family, only Luo'er would be most suitable to match your fate; I would not have gone to this trouble. 」