The sound of a zither arose.
As if possessed by a demon, the overlapping notes twisted and turned, creating eighteen bends. Liu He and Zhui Yue, knowing the potency of sound assassination, focused their minds, dispelling any murderous intent, and engaged in pure combat.
The attackers, caught off guard, were astonished. Beyond their surprise, they found the music incredibly beautiful, each note seeping into their ears like entwined mandarin ducks in a tender embrace, or lotuses blooming on a lake, radiating a dazzling brilliance.
Their willpower began to falter uncontrollably. Their bodies felt weak and pliant. By the time they realized something was amiss, they were already beyond their own control. Seeing this, Liu Xing and Zhui Yue struck swiftly, a blade falling upon each attacker. The zither music abruptly ceased.
The moonlight was captivating, with a ground littered with corpses, blood staining the scene. Liu Xing, Zhui Yue, and Wan Wan suddenly regained their senses.
"Master?"
The three of them leaped into the air, heading straight for the sleeping quarters.
Inside the sleeping quarters, three assassins lay dead, each killed with a single swift stroke. A thin, red-line-like wound marked their necks, with little blood spilled, a testament to the ruthless precision and speed of the killing. Three lives were extinguished in the blink of an eye.
These individuals likely never dreamed that this handsome, ethereal youth could transform into a demon that extinguishes lives without a blink.
"Find out who these people are for me!"
Yun Xiao commanded in a deep voice, her pupils chilling, radiating a palpable aura of bloodlust.
In a corner of the sleeping quarters, a trembling figure shook their head frantically, biting their lower lip with force, their eyes wide open, black pupils flashing with terror and fright.
Looking at Qiao Fan in this state, everyone felt a pang of pity. Yun Xiao walked towards her slowly. Qiao Fan looked at her with terror, moving backward, murmuring, "Let me go, let me go, I don't know anything, I don't know anything."
It seemed her memories were beginning to resurface, and the price of this resurgence was proving to be so painful.
Ye Wu Yun, why did you insist on healing her so ardently?
"Qiao Fan, I am your brother, I am your brother."
Yun Xiao coaxed her. She lifted her head, gazing at Yun Xiao. A flash of light suddenly appeared in her mind, and she lunged into Yun Xiao's embrace: "I'm scared, I'm scared, they wanted to kill me, and they also wanted to... wanted to?"
She couldn't utter another word, but Yun Xiao knew what she wanted to say and quickly stopped her, "It's alright, Qiao Fan, nothing will happen, it's all in the past, it was a dream, just a dream."
Yun Xiao held her tightly, hoping to spare her more torment. What was past was past.
In the room, Liu Xing and Zhui Yue's throats felt tight. Wan Wan's eyes were filled with mist. After a long moment, she walked over, crouched down, and opened the faces of the three masked individuals in the room.
As expected, one of them was Jia Ye, the Empress Dowager's personal maid. They recognized this woman.
"Liu Xing, go to the Ye residence immediately and secretly bring Ye Wu Yun to the palace."
"Yes, Master."
As Yun Xiao said this, she clearly felt Qiao Fan's body tremble even more violently, as if she were terrified of seeing Ye Wu Yun.
Yun Xiao actually understood her. If she had been violated, she would feel impure. Ye Wu Yun was undoubtedly someone she liked, and facing the person she liked while remembering those shameful events would likely make her feel even worse.
Liu Xing vanished in a flash. Yun Xiao looked up again and instructed Zhui Yue.
"Clear out all the corpses in the room."
"Yes." Although Zhui Yue was Murong's subordinate, Yun Xiao used him with great ease. He had now undeniably become her subordinate, and she showed no hesitation in giving him orders.
Zhui Yue stepped forward, taking one corpse in each hand, and walked out. He then returned and carried out the remaining one.
The room was much cleaner. Without Yun Xiao's instruction, Wan Wan automatically found a rag and began cleaning the bloodstains from the floor.
Yun Xiao helped up the trembling Qiao Fan, who was still shaking in her arms, and settled her into a chair. "It's alright, Qiao Fan, you are safe now. No one will harm you."
Qiao Fan lowered her head, weeping continuously, appearing utterly helpless. She clutched her hands tightly, digging into her flesh without feeling any pain. Yun Xiao reached out to comfort her with a heavy heart.
"Qiao Fan, I know you must have experienced something unbearable. Forget it. Think of Wu Yun. He has always looked after you like a brother, hoping for you to awaken. You still have us, your friends. People cannot live in the past forever. Forget all of it."
Qiao Fan looked up, gazing at Yun Xiao blankly, motionless as if petrified. Just as Yun Xiao began to feel uneasy, she suddenly spoke, her voice cautious.
"Young Master, can I stay by your side? I will stay by your side, willing to be your servant or do anything, just don't make me go with Wu Yun."
"This?"
Yun Xiao was stunned. Even Wan Wan, who had just walked in from the door, was surprised. Neither of them had expected Qiao Fan to make such a request. She was Ye Wu Yun's person; he had traveled far and wide seeking medical help for her. Now she wanted to stay by Yun Xiao's side as a maid? xxs壹贰
This put Ye Wu Yun in an awkward position. Thus, Yun Xiao dared not make a decision on her own and fell silent.
Outside the hall, Zhui Yue guarded the corpses. Inside the sleeping quarters, the three remained silent, time flowing by quietly.
The night was growing very deep.
The moonlight shifted westward. The sky was about to break when, fortunately, Ye Wu Yun arrived at the palace.
A pale purple long robe fluttered past the doorway, and he flashed inside in an instant, rushing to Qiao Fan's side and examining her from head to toe. Finally, he looked up, his dark eyes like a thousand-year-old ice pool, exceptionally cold.
"What is going on here?"
Yun Xiao, with her calm and elegant demeanor, slowly rose. "I didn't want to keep her in the palace precisely because I feared something like this would happen, yet it still did. Go and check the assassins outside the door; I believe you will recognize them."
Ye Wu Yun's figure flickered, and he swiftly rushed out. He soon flashed back in, his eyes now even darker, an aura of coldness emanating from him. He glanced at Qiao Fan, speaking word by word, "Is this true?"
Qiao Fan stared at him blankly, tears slowly sliding down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string.
Once, when she served the young master, life was so beautiful. The young master taught her to read and write. She knew she was not worthy of being anything to the young master, not even a concubine. She only wished to remain a maidservant peacefully.
But one day, when she was making bird's nest soup for the young master who had stayed up late studying, she passed the master's study and overheard something she shouldn't have. She dropped the bowl and ran.
However, she was later targeted by assassins. Being killed was not terrifying; what was terrifying were those beasts worse than animals, who had violated her purity. She remembered going mad at that time, grabbing a sword and stabbing. She didn't know why her strength was so terrifying. After a flurry of wild slashes, she ran.
Then, she remembered nothing else. It turned out she had gone mad. If only she had gone mad forever, it would have been so much better.
Cracks appeared on Ye Wu Yun's handsome, aloof features, his eyes chillingly cold. He had always believed that his parents' disapproval of his closeness to Qiao Fan was why they had sent her away.
When he finally found her, he thought she had been bullied by someone outside, which was why she had become simple-minded.
He never expected the truth to be this, but rather that Qiao Fan had encountered something she shouldn't have.
"Qiao Fan, what did you encounter? Tell me! I will seek justice for you."
Ye Wu Yun could no longer suppress his rage. The man who was always as indifferent as ice was now frantic and lost, appearing like a ferocious lion perched on a cliff edge, ready to devour.
Qiao Fan remained motionless, ignoring his shouting and refusing to utter a word.
Yun Xiao stepped forward and pulled Ye Wu Yun's hand away, her expression stern, a chilling aura surrounding her. She spoke word by word, "She has only just woken up. Do you intend to drive her to her death?"