"Ah..."
"It hurts so much..."
One middle-aged man cried out in pain, while another rolled on the ground, writhing in agony.
Leng Ruo Li's red lips curved into a cold smile as she looked at them.
"You bitch! I'll kill you! How dare you injure my brother."
After recovering, the older man's face was filled with rage. Veins bulged on his clenched fists as he lunged at Leng Ruo Li.
Leng Ruo Li dodged his punch and tripped him to the ground with a sweeping leg. Then, she raised the sharp scalpel in her hand and sliced across his neck, killing him instantly.
Seeing her brother killed, the other man's eyes blazed with furious hatred. Ignoring the pain in his abdomen, he struggled to get up, attempting to escape.
Leng Ruo Li used her willpower to control her movement within the system space, instantly appearing before the man, which startled him into a loud scream.
"Ah—"
The man stared at her with a terrified expression, as if he had seen a ghost.
This woman was truly bizarre.
Leng Ruo Li didn't care what the man was thinking. In her eyes, this man had to die tonight.
"Speak, who ordered you to kill me."
Leng Ruo Li gazed at the man before her with dark, menacing eyes, speaking with a smile that made him tremble, as if she were a devil from hell.
"Miss... Miss, please, don't kill me, don't kill me, I'll tell you."
The man endured the intense pain in his abdomen, feigning subservience as he knelt and begged, his head bowed. His eyes darted around as he frantically concocted a plan to escape.
However, Leng Ruo Li saw through his intentions at a glance.
She kicked him to the ground. The man's abdominal wound was aggravated by the fall, leaving his face pale with pain.
*Wuwu...*
Damn it, this woman was truly ruthless.
"Will you speak? If you don't, I'll break your ribs one by one and torture you until you wish you were dead," Leng Ruo Li said sternly.
Upon hearing this, the man shivered with cold fear.
"No, no, Miss, I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything."
"It... it was the second young lady of the General's mansion, Leng Ruo Shuang. She paid a hundred taels of silver for us brothers to ambush you on the road and defile you," the man stammered fearfully.
"Heh... Just as I expected, it was Leng Ruo Shuang."
A cold glint flashed in Leng Ruo Li's eyes as she said ominously, "Indeed."
With a flick of her wrist, the scalpel flew out rapidly, piercing the man's heart. The man let out a scream and collapsed to the ground, dead.
She walked over, collected the two bodies into her system space, and then turned towards Leng Ruo Shuang's courtyard.
Meanwhile, in Minglan Courtyard, Leng Ruo Shuang tossed and turned restlessly in bed, her eyelids twitching. She felt uneasy, wondering if the two men she had hired had succeeded.
She thought: If they hadn't succeeded, and Leng Ruo Li found out it was me who sent people to ambush her, would she kill me directly?
Recalling the moment Leng Ruo Li had grabbed her by the throat in Yuhua Courtyard yesterday, a bloodthirsty hatred surged within her. She thought, "Leng Ruo Li, I will definitely kill you."
But what she didn't know was that all her expressions at that moment were being fully observed by Leng Ruo Li outside the window.
Leng Ruo Li scoffed inwardly.
"Damn it."
Did she really think I was a pushover?
A silver needle shot from Leng Ruo Li's hand, striking Leng Ruo Shuang's neck, causing her to immediately fall into a deep sleep.
Subsequently, Leng Ruo Li leaped through the window and moved the two corpses from her system space onto Leng Ruo Shuang's bed, one on each side of her. As she left, Leng Ruo Li thoughtfully covered the three of them with a quilt.
"Haha..."
Leng Ruo Shuang, this is the consequence of provoking me. If not for the slight blood relation she had with the original host, Leng Ruo Li would have ended her long ago.
At this moment, Leng Ruo Li was in a very good mood, humming a little tune as she walked out of Minglan Courtyard.
...
The next day, at dawn.
"Ah—"
A scream pierced the entire General's mansion.
Leng Ruo Shuang woke up to find two male corpses on her bed. She was so terrified that she wet her pants. Scrambling off the bed, she trembled all over.
Granny Liu and Xiao Cui, hearing Leng Ruo Shuang's scream, broke open her door and rushed in. Upon seeing the two corpses on the bed, Granny Liu and Xiao Cui were also frightened.
"Ah—"
"Miss, there are two corpses on the bed!"
The two servants pulled Leng Ruo Shuang out in a panic.
Just then, Madam Liu, who lived nearby in Yuhua Courtyard, heard the commotion from Minglan Courtyard and rushed over anxiously.
"Shuang'er, what happened?"
"Wuwu~ Mother, there are two corpses on Shuang'er's bed."
"Corpses? Where did the corpses come from?"
Madam Liu's brow furrowed immediately. She walked into Leng Ruo Shuang's room with A'Man. Upon seeing the two corpses on the bed, she was startled.
These two corpses were covered in blood, their eyes wide open in death, unable to rest in peace, which was eerie.
Madam Liu was furious. She desperately wanted to know who had played this prank, daring to scare her daughter with corpses.
Only A'Man calmly approached the bed and examined the two corpses carefully.
"Madam, based on the wounds on these two corpses, it appears they were killed by a dagger-like weapon."
Hearing A'Man's words, Madam Liu also approached the bed and examined the bodies of the two deceased. She suddenly recalled something.
Just then, Steward Lin from the mansion entered. Without bowing to Madam Liu, he looked at the two dead bodies on Leng Ruo Shuang's bed, his face instantly contorting in anger.
"Who did this???"
Madam Liu: "I don't know."
Steward Lin frowned deeply, and a certain person suddenly flashed in his mind.
"Could it be Leng Ruo Li?"
"Impossible! Although Leng Ruo Li is no longer foolish, she doesn't know martial arts. Shuang'er's courtyard has numerous guards and is heavily fortified. It's impossible for her to easily evade the guards' sight, carry two corpses into Shuang'er's room, and go unnoticed."
"Then who could it be?"
"Don't think about it for now. You should quickly get rid of these two corpses. It's likely Shuang'er won't be staying in Minglan Courtyard anymore. Call some servants to move all her belongings to Bamboo Courtyard. From now on, Shuang'er will reside in Bamboo Courtyard."
"Alright!"
—
Yuhua Courtyard
At this moment, Leng Ruo Shuang had changed into a new set of clothes and was sitting properly in Madam Liu's room.
Madam Liu looked at her reproachfully and asked, "Shuang'er, did you do something behind my back?"
Leng Ruo Shuang looked nervous. Madam Liu saw her daughter's evasive and guilty expression as she said, "Mother, n-no."
Seeing her daughter's expression, Madam Liu understood everything.
"Shuang'er, next time, don't be so impulsive. The Tianwu Kingdom places great importance on a daughter's reputation. If even a whisper of what happened this morning gets out, you'll never be able to marry into the royal family."
Upon hearing Madam Liu's words, Leng Ruo Shuang's expression changed slightly, and she suddenly felt afraid.
"Mother, please don't let the servants in the mansion spread news about this morning."
"Alas, do I need to tell you? Your mother has already made arrangements. You, on the other hand, should get closer to Prince Qing when you have the chance. When you have free time, you should practice your dancing and your skills in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Your mother estimates that before and after the New Year, the Emperor and Empress will select consorts for the adult princes. You must perform well, be the best, and catch the Emperor and Empress's eyes to have a future."
"Yes, thank you, Mother. Shuang'er understands."