Chapter 341: Prince Su favors the new and discards the old—did he kill the maiden?

The two raised their heads, like two abandoned little wolf-dogs.

Full of panic and pity.

They, could they really have been abandoned?

The Sect Leader doesn't want them; they can only go to die—

The despair in their eyes made Li Qingluo slightly startled.

She didn't expect them to be so stubborn!

The Old Duke had trained these assassins like pieces of wood; really, it's rather pitiful.

But she never really intended to let them go.

It's just that there's something in their heads she wants to change.

Li Qingluo sighed: "If you truly don't want to leave, from now on, without the Night Slayer Sect Sect Leader's jade pendant, would you still be willing to acknowledge me as Sect Leader and continue following me, this young lady?"

The two immediately raised their heads and loudly replied, "We, your subordinates, are willing!"

"We two subordinates are willing to follow the young lady for life, forever serving her!"

"From now on we will recognize only people, not any jade pendant!"

"Please, young lady, do not abandon us of the Night Slayer Sect!"

Li Qingluo let out a breath.

"You think that way, but what about the others?"

"I recall the Night Slayer Sect now has over twenty members?"

One assassin replied, "Reporting to the Sect Leader, our Night Slayer Sect has a total of twenty-seven people at this moment."

Twenty-seven?

That number is quite considerable.

Li Qingluo asked: "Where do they usually stay?"

At this moment: "We… we usually, most of us stay in the Carefree Sect."

"Then about five people take turns waiting in various dark corners of the city, ready to be summoned by the Sect Leader at any time."

Li Qingluo used to find them with just a whistle.

No wonder they can come whenever called; they've been wandering in places in this city where no one can see them.

What's the difference between that and wandering ghosts?

"Then, young lady, I'll give you two a task now."

"They are willing to acknowledge her as leader without the jade pendant, but what about the other twenty-five?"

Li Qingluo told them to go back and tell everyone in the Night Slayer Sect that the jade pendant is broken.

Those who wish to leave in the future, she can set them free.

Those who still wish to stay can go to the Xiuli Jiangjun Fu to find her tomorrow.

The two immediately bowed their heads to obey, and in the blink of an eye left through the window.

Duan Rongshi had been watching how Li Qingluo wins people's hearts.

Seeing her finally dismiss those two, he leisurely asked: "You want to disband the Night Slayer Sect—have you consulted this prince, the Sect Leader?"

Li Qingluo gave a hehe laugh.

"Your Highness, you also see the drawbacks of this. If this commoner girl loses the jade pendant again in the future, what then?"

"These blockheads only recognize the jade pendant, not people; it's entirely possible they'll really listen to others' words and come kill me."

"Just now this commoner girl killed 'herself,' and they could then recognize me after I pick up the jade pendant again."

"To me, how is this not also a kind of betrayal?"

"In order to eliminate future troubles, this commoner girl will just make a small change."

"After all, they won't be like you, who only recognizes this commoner girl as a person!"

Duan Rongshi reached out and pinched her cheek: "Flattery and smooth talk. But how will you get your face back?"

Li Qingluo knew he wasn't using force, yet she still cried out in surprise repeatedly.

"Oh dear."

"Please be gentle."

"Indeed, Your Highness still values looks; you've already begun to dislike this commoner girl's plain and ordinary appearance."

Duan Rongshi said: "This prince fears that with that face, your grandmother won't let you go home."

Li Qingluo was startled all over.

She indeed was also worried, fearing her grandmother wouldn't believe her.

"Your Highness and this commoner girl, go back together!"

"With him as witness, grandmother would at least believe a bit, right?"

Duan Rongshi smiled slowly: "Then this prince will reluctantly agree."

Facing his smile, Li Qingluo's face turned red.

She could sense that he seemed quite happy?

The two walked out of the house together; the guards Zhui Yu and Po Feng in the courtyard were secretly startled.

"Your Highness, this gentleman, could he really be your former…"

Zhui Yu hadn't finished speaking when he saw 'Li Qingluo' lying in a pool of blood on the floor inside the house.

He let out a startled cry: "Young lady!?"

"Your Highness, that is the young lady!"

"Then…"

Duan Rongshi glared at him: "Shut up!"

"Go, bury her."

He took the hot handkerchief handed by the mute servant nearby and carefully wiped his hands.

He also had the mute servant present Li Qingluo with a hot handkerchief as well.

After both had wiped their hands, he then led Li Qingluo toward the garden filled with flowerpots.

Zhui Yu and Po Feng stood rooted like struck by lightning, their souls about to scatter.

Especially Zhui Yu, who stumbled toward the door, seeing the corpse of the 'young lady' already dead, tears instantly streaming down her face.

"Your Highness is mad… mad!"

"What did he do?"

"He actually killed the young lady?"

Po Feng, hearing this, clapped a hand over his mouth.

"I think you're the one who's mad!"

"Do you want to die, or do you want another beating?"

"How dare you say such things!"

"Although I'm also shocked, we don't know what exactly happened inside just now."

"Hurry up and stop talking!"

Zhui Yu, lacking strength, turned and still shoved Po Feng away.

"You had nothing to do with the young lady, so of course you wouldn't be sad!"

"The young lady is lost because of me… it's me!"

"It's really me who deserves to die…"

"The young lady was such a good person, hard to find again, yet her memory is gone… you didn't see the dagger on her chest, is that Your Highness's personal weapon?"

"It was actually Your Highness who killed her personally."

"How could he suddenly act like a different person and do such a thing?"

"His feelings for the young lady, we several have long seen clearly, haven't we?"

"Why would he do such a thing… could it be that Your Highness had his soul seized or was given some bewitching drug by that utterly unremarkable girl just now?"

"No matter what, I cannot believe that Your Highness is the kind of person who would do such a thing!"

Zhui Yu wept bitterly, her legs going weak.

Li Qingluo, hearing the sound, couldn't help but turn her head.

Seeing Zhui Yu crying, a scene of sorrow.

Although his crying is fake, she knows his true feelings are actually for herself; Li Qingluo, feeling reluctant, tugged at Duan Rongshi's sleeve: "Your Highness, you had better tell that idiot the truth yourself."

Duan Rongshi: "He deserves it."

Lowering his head and seeing her tug his sleeve, Duan Rongshi moved his arm a bit closer to her, so she could hold it more comfortably.

Noticing his movement, Li Qingluo, blushing, hurriedly let go.

Po Feng feared that if Zhui Yu kept crying she would really be punished, so he hurried her inside to collect the corpse.

Over here, Qingyangzi and Lingfengzi, along with several other Daoists, were brought over by the mute servants from the other side.

Li Qingluo saw that Qingyangzi's limbs were intact, and thought: Indeed, these two are colluding, inside and outside in league.

But why did he summon so many Daoists?

Suddenly, she felt several hostile gazes fall upon her.

Just now, several mute servants also saw the corpse of 'Li Qingluo' inside the room; their faces showed unavoidable grief and sorrow, so when they placed teacups before Li Qingluo they did so somewhat clumsily.

Even the pastries brought up were placed far away, so Li Qingluo couldn't reach them at all.

They had kindly taken her in for a night, never expecting that she not only cross-dressed as a woman but also bewitched Your Highness into killing the young lady whom everyone in Guiyuan loved dearly!

How could the mute servants not be grieved?

They wished they could all burst into tears.

They had thought the young lady could achieve a blessed union with Your Highness, never expecting that halfway a… plain-looking impostor would appear!

At this moment, the mute servants' gazes at Li Qingluo carried a hint of resentment and disgust.

Li Qingluo felt as if sitting on pins and needles, with a prickling sensation on her back.

She wished she could immediately announce to the world that she is the true Li Qingluo!

However, such an unbelievable matter, even if shouted aloud, would only be taken as madness.

Once the true self recovers her appearance, the truth will naturally be revealed to all.

She could only steel herself and endure those gazes, sitting with Prince Su to drink tea.

After Duan Rongshi personally pushed the pastries toward her, she then ate them in small bites herself.

Qingyangzi and Lingfengzi each glanced at Li Qingluo, then respectfully paid their respects to Prince Su.

Qingyangzi: "Your Highness, the persons you wanted, this humble Daoist has already brought them. Later, we will set up the ritual ground; you only need to bring those you wish to exorcise."

Ritual ground?

Exorcism?

Are they here to perform exorcism in Guiyuan?

To, to that false 'self'?

Li Qingluo's mouth twitched.

Only then did she understand that Duan Rongshi had genuinely believed that the fake double was possessed by a ghost and had attached itself to her.

That is why she had Qingyangzi and the others personally come to exorcise 'her'.

She actually felt somewhat amused.

She also felt somewhat heartbroken.

He could tell in such a short time that it wasn't himself, which is already a rare thing in the world.

Perhaps, no one else can be as steadfast as he is, not recognizing the body and voice, only recognizing himself.

Li Qingluo couldn't help but stare fixedly at Duan Rongshi in front of everyone.

Duan Rongshi sensed her gaze, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

Some uncontainable joy.

But in front of Qingyangzi and the others, he could only pretend to be calm and indifferent.

He restrained himself from responding to her gaze.

He simply looked at Qingyangzi and the others with a normal expression: "This matter has already been settled; there's no need to trouble you further."

Qingyangzi felt somewhat surprised.

But he also quickly accepted: "Yes, Your Highness."

"Your Highness, there has been a strange matter these past few days that I have not yet reported to you."

"The bitterleaf imprisoned in the rear mountain cliff cave suddenly died violently a few days ago."

"We buried her nearby on the mountain, but the next day someone found that her grave had been disturbed."

"When I rushed to her grave to check, I found that her corpse was already gone."