Chen Lishu struggled to resist, but the attackers were too swift, leaving her no time to react. A handkerchief was stuffed into her mouth, and she lost consciousness.
As everyone else was focused on the rain-making equipment, no one noticed Chen Lishu's plight, except for Zhang Wan'er.
"Wan'er, where are you going?" Li Zhemeng grabbed her wrist as she turned towards the crowd, his voice filled with concern. "There are too many people here. Be careful not to get lost."
A slight smile played on Zhang Wan'er's lips. She had no intention of revealing her plan to Li Zhemeng. Her primary reason was that this pawn had a significant role to play, and she couldn't afford to diminish his impression of her. So, she offered a casual excuse:
"It's precisely because there are so many people that I'm finding it a bit suffocating. I want to go outside for some fresh air. It's alright; I'm quite familiar with the paths around here. Don't worry about me. Let's hurry up with the rainmaking, and then we can leave this place."
Li Zhemeng pondered for a moment before saying, "Alright, then. There's nothing much for me to do here either. Why don't I accompany you for some fresh air? I'm just a bit worried about you here. If anything happens to you, I'll have to answer to your uncle."
If he accompanied her, how could her plan succeed? Zhang Wan'er shook her head. "I want to be alone. Too many things have happened these past few days. If you come along, I'm afraid I might lose my temper!"
Seeing the fleeting impatience on Zhang Wan'er's face, Li Zhemeng pursed his lips and finally nodded in agreement. "Alright, then. Remember to call me if anything happens. You must be back within two hours at most. If I don't see you, I'll be worried."
After bidding farewell to Li Zhemeng, she headed to the place she had arranged with the assassins.
----
Upon seeing Zhang Wan'er, the assassins rose and flattered her with smiles. "Big sister, we've completed the task you assigned us. The money you promised us..."
"I have the money ready!" Zhang Wan'er took out a stack of cash from her bag, waved it in front of the assassins, and then said coldly, "After taking this money, you should know what to say and what not to say, right?
From now on, regardless of whether someone investigates you or suspects you, it's best to keep your mouths shut. Otherwise, if things are exposed, it won't just be about jail time. I have a thousand, ten thousand ways to ensure you die in prison!
I believe you all understand who I am, don't you? If you don't want to implicate your families, you'd best keep your mouths shut. Do you understand?"
Faced with Zhang Wan'er's threats, the assassins nodded obediently. "We understand. Don't worry, no matter what consequences we face, we will never betray you. After all, when we chose to enter this line of work and took on this job, we had already considered what our futures would be like!"
Zhang Wan'er nodded with satisfaction and then approached Chen Lishu. Looking at her sleeping form, a flicker of jealousy crossed her eyes. She then crouched down and gestured to the assassins.
"Huh?" The assassins were taken aback by Zhang Wan'er's beckoning. One of them approached her, asking with a puzzled expression, "Miss, do you have any instructions?"
Zhang Wan'er looked at the approaching face and clicked her tongue in annoyance, then sternly reprimanded, "You idiot, I mean for you to bring me a dagger!"
The assassin stammered an "Oh" and fumbled in his pocket, producing a delicate and sharp dagger, which he respectfully handed to Zhang Wan'er. "Here is what you wanted, Miss!"
Zhang Wan'er took the dagger and lightly tapped it against Chen Lishu's face, saying meaningfully, "Is it this face that has captivated Xingdong so completely? If this face of yours were ruined, I wonder if Gu Xingdong would still like you as much?!"
The dagger lightly grazed Chen Lishu's face, and blood spurted out. The pain caused Chen Lishu to wake up. She opened her eyes, looked at the situation, and her expression shifted from panic to composure.
"It's you? I can't believe you're so audacious as to kidnap me right in front of so many soldiers! If these plans of yours are exposed, will you still have the nerve to appear in the military?"
Zhang Wan'er did not directly answer Chen Lishu's question. Instead, she pressed the dagger against Chen Lishu's face and said meaningfully, "You're awake? If your face were ruined, would Gu Xingdong still love you as he did before? Or would he look at your face and feel nauseated! And then suddenly realize that the person beside him is ten thousand times more beautiful, and turn his affections elsewhere?!"
A faint smile curved Chen Lishu's lips. "No matter what I become, or who Gu Xingdong falls for, one thing I can be certain of is that he will never fall for you!"
"Nonsense!" Faced with Chen Lishu's provocation, Zhang Wan'er's reason instantly collapsed. She stood up, preparing to finish Chen Lishu with the dagger, when she saw an assassin stumbling towards her. He said, "A group of soldiers is heading this way. Miss Zhang, what should we do? Should we escape now?"
Hearing that the approaching party was likely Gu Xingdong, a cruel glint flashed in Zhang Wan'er's eyes. She handed the dagger to an assassin beside her and said sharply, "What else can we do here? Quickly finish this woman off, and knock me out!"
"But... but..." The assassin held the dagger, looking troubled. In reality, they weren't professional killers but ordinary villagers from Modu!
The drought in Modu might be resolved today, but its effects could leave their families unable to survive here. Thus, Zhang Wan'er found them, offering money and a promise to take them to Kyoto when she left, which led them to take this risky action.
How could people who had only ever slaughtered chickens and ducks, let alone pigs, dare to kill someone? Just as they stood there, dagger in hand, uncertain what to do, Gu Xingdong was already rushing towards them with a large group of men.
Zhang Wan'er cursed softly, "Useless!" She then swiftly struck towards Chen Lishu's neck. She herself took the dagger and slashed herself a few times, falling to the ground. Before she lost consciousness, she managed to threaten, "Shut your dog mouths. Know what to say and what not to say, and keep it in mind!"