Mo Li

In a secluded alley somewhere in the capital, a carriage stood quietly. The coachman had long since disappeared, and before anyone realized it, the surroundings had been surrounded. The leader of the group was a man dressed in unremarkable gray clothing, his long, disheveled hair covering half his face. The exposed half appeared stiff and sinister. A single eye gleamed with venomous malice, and even though the setting sun still cast a faint warmth, the light falling on the man exuded an icy chill.

"Come out!" the man's voice hissed eerily. For a long while, there was no movement from the carriage. Growing impatient, the man sneered, "If you don’t come out now, I’ll start shooting arrows. I know there’s someone alive in there. Get out!"

After a moment, a delicate and pretty maid tremblingly lifted the curtain and slid out of the carriage. Then, together with another charming young girl, she helped a pale but beautiful young woman step down. The young woman had an arrow embedded in her right shoulder, and the area covered by her left hand was already stained crimson. "Who… who are you?"

The one-eyed man let out a cold laugh, his sinister eye glinting with malice. "So this is Prince Ding’s future bride? Mo Xiuyao, that cripple, sure has good luck. Even with half a life left, he still gets such a beautiful woman willing to marry him!"

Qingluan stepped forward, shielding the two behind her. "Since you know our identities, how dare you be so insolent?"

The one-eyed man grinned savagely. "Others may fear Mo Xiuyao, but I don’t. Besides… is there anyone left in the capital who still fears him now?"

Ye Li looked directly at the man. "Do you have a grudge against Prince Ding, or against the Xu or Ye families?"

The one-eyed man paused, then burst into wild laughter. "Mo Xiuyao’s woman? Interesting! I have no grudge against Mo Xiuyao, nor against the Xu or Ye families. What are you going to do about it?"

Ye Li replied, "Then you’ve been paid to cause trouble. How much did you take? I’ll double it."

"You?" The one-eyed man scrutinized Ye Li, as if assessing the credibility of her words. "I was paid twenty thousand taels in silver notes to take your life. Can you afford that?"

Ye Li nodded. "Let us go, and I’ll give you forty thousand."

"Why should I believe you?" The man’s single eye narrowed sharply as he glared at Ye Li. Forty thousand taels was an amount that would tempt anyone. The expressions of the men around them began to waver, but without the one-eyed man’s order, they didn’t dare act rashly.

Ye Li said calmly, "If you don’t believe me, you can let my maid go back to fetch the money for you. We’ll exchange the money for our freedom—a clean deal. And… I don’t think you actually intend to kill me. I only ask that you don’t harm us."

The one-eyed man’s eyelid twitched violently as he stared at Ye Li. "You think I don’t dare kill you?"

"If you really wanted to kill me, you could have just shot us all dead with arrows earlier."

"Good. Mo Xiuyao’s woman is indeed different! You!" He pointed. "Go back and get the money. If word gets out, or if I don’t see the silver notes at the agreed location, prepare to collect your mistress’s corpse."

Qingyu, the one being pointed at, shook her head vehemently. "I won’t leave! Let the mistress go back—we’ll stay."

The one-eyed man sneered. "You think I’d believe two maids’ lives are worth anything?"Qingyu gritted her teeth and said, "My mistress is injured. I know a little about medicine. Let Qingluan go back."

"If it's not serious, you might still have time to treat your mistress if you hurry. Now scram!"

"Qingyu, you go first," Ye Li said softly. Qingyu bit her lip and nodded firmly. "Qingluan, take good care of the mistress."

Qingluan nodded and turned to support Ye Li in Qingyu's place. Watching Qingyu stumble away, the one-eyed man pointed at two of his men. "Follow that girl and get the silver notes back. As for you two... will you leave on your own, or shall I have someone escort you out?"

"We'll leave on our own."

They had been kidnapped. Ye Li looked helplessly at the situation before her. Of course, it was quite remarkable that a group of bandits could abduct a future princess consort right from under the emperor's nose in the capital. Moreover, the group had moved swiftly out of the capital and arrived at a steep mountain peak a full hundred li away. Clearly, they had indeed been kidnapped by bandits, as this was a bandit stronghold.

Perhaps because Ye Li was still worth forty thousand taels in silver notes, they weren't thrown into a gloomy dungeon but locked in a rather crude hut instead. Once the door was shut, Qingluan hurried to listen at it for any movement outside before returning to Ye Li's side and whispering, "Mistress, we're so far from the capital now. Will Qingyu be able to find us?"

Ye Li removed the hand she'd been pressing to her right shoulder and casually pulled out the arrow stuck there. The feathered arrow had entered diagonally from her right chest but hadn't actually wounded her. The crimson blood staining her clothes was merely red rouge mixed with a medicinal liquid Qingyu carried. She had never intended for Qingyu to return—she just couldn't bear to part with those forty thousand taels. Qingluan gasped. "Mistress, are you saying... they plan to kill us after taking the money?" Ye Li nodded, smiling reassuringly. "Don't worry, those two men are no match for Qingyu. She'll be fine." Qingluan's worried expression didn't fade in the slightest as she gave her mistress a helpless look. It wasn't Qingyu she was worried about—she was fretting over how they would escape this predicament. The master and eldest young master had entrusted their mistress's safety to them, yet now that she'd been captured by bandits, they were powerless. How useless they were!

"There are too many of them. It's not your fault," Ye Li said gently. "Help me bandage this wound."

Qingluan nodded and tore a strip of cloth from the clean inner sleeve of her garment to wrap Ye Li's "wound." As she worked, she asked, "Mistress, do you know who might want to harm us? Could it be Madam Wang?"

Ye Li shook her head. "She's short on funds lately—it's unlikely she could produce twenty thousand taels to have me kidnapped. Besides, it would be easy to trace back to her. Most importantly, the other party clearly doesn't intend to kill me. So either they aren't afraid of my retaliation, or they're someone I'd never suspect, making retaliation impossible. Therefore, it probably isn't Wang Shi."

Qingluan frowned. "But you haven't offended anyone, mistress."

Ye Li fell silent in thought. To kidnap her but not intend to kill her... Once news spread that she had been abducted by bandits, her reputation would be ruined. Her marriage...

"What?"

"Someone doesn't want me to marry Prince Ding smoothly," Ye Li said calmly.

"Prince Li!" Qingluan spat bitterly.Ye Li shook her head. It was possible, but not certain. No matter how foolish Mo Jingli was, he should know that if anything happened to her, Mo Xiuyao would come after him first.

"Then... what should we do now?" Qingluan asked, opening the door. "Miss, take this chance to escape."

Ye Li shook her head again. "This place is at least a hundred miles from the capital. If my guess is correct and this is about my marriage to Prince Ding, then news of my abduction must have spread the moment I left the city. If it were just me, escaping this stronghold might not be difficult. But even if I return now, it would likely be too late. So, it might be better to stay—perhaps we’ll uncover something unexpected. Let’s rest for now and decide later."

"Yes, Miss."

Ding Royal Palace

"Your Highness!" The steward of the palace rushed in, his face filled with urgency. Seeing Mo Xiuyao, he barely had time to bow before exclaiming, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened!"

Mo Xiuyao looked up sharply. "What is it?"

"Just now, our people reported that rumors have suddenly spread outside—they say Third Miss Ye has been kidnapped by a flower thief—" The steward’s words abruptly cut off under Mo Xiuyao’s icy glare. He shuddered, trembling as he glanced at the man seated in the wheelchair. "Your Highness..."

Mo Xiuyao closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them. "What happened?"

"I don’t know the details, Your Highness. Our people went out to procure items for your wedding when they heard this rumor everywhere. Sensing something was wrong, they hurried back to report to me. I didn’t dare delay, so I—" Mo Xiuyao raised a hand to silence him. "Send someone immediately to the Minister’s residence to check if A Li has returned. Dispatch another group to trace her movements after leaving the palace and investigate the situation inside the palace!"

"Yes, I’ll go at once!" The steward didn’t dare linger and swiftly disappeared down the corridor.

"A Jin, inform Feng San. By any means necessary, I don’t want to hear any more rumors circulating in the capital." Mo Xiuyao’s voice was calm, but the killing intent beneath his words sent chills down the spine.

"Yes."

"Your Highness." The steward reappeared at the door.

"What now?"

"Young Master Xu has just sent an invitation, requesting Your Highness to come to the Xu family estate at once."

Mo Xiuyao lowered his gaze. "Understood."

Xu Family Estate

In the main courtyard, Qingyu slumped weakly into a chair, her left sleeve torn and half-soaked in blood from a wound. On the floor, the two men sent by the one-eyed leader to follow her lay unconscious. Xu Hongyu sat grimly in the seat of honor, with Xu Hongyan and Xu Qingchen seated below him. Xu Qingze and the others stood to the side, their expressions uniformly grim.

"What’s the situation with the rumors outside?" Xu Hongyu asked sternly.

Xu Hongyan replied, "Someone deliberately spread them. According to Qingyu, less than an hour passed between A Li’s abduction and the rumors spreading throughout the capital."

"People have been sent to search discreetly across the capital. But... it’s likely A Li is no longer in the city," Xu Qingchen said with a frown.

"How could so many people abduct two defenseless women right under the Emperor’s nose? What are the capital’s guards doing?" Xu Qingfeng fumed.

Xu Qingchen frowned. "We’ll deal with that later. Can’t these two be awakened?"Qingyu said, "This servant used the Sandalwood Intoxicant. They should wake up in another quarter of an hour." She had originally intended to lead these two back to the Xu residence directly, but unexpectedly, one of them was quite alert and saw through her scheme. In a fit of shame and anger, he tried to kill her to silence her. She had no choice but to expend considerable effort and waste much time to knock them unconscious before she could notify the eldest young master. Yet, in such a short span, the news of the young lady's abduction had already spread throughout the capital.

"If they can't be roused, leave it to this prince." A calm voice came from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Mo Xiuyao, dressed in plain white robes, sitting expressionlessly in his wheelchair as he stared at the two unconscious figures on the ground. Behind him, the silent A Jin pushed the wheelchair forward.

"Your Highness." The assembled rose to their feet. Mo Xiuyao raised a hand. "Let us focus on the matter at hand. There's no need for formalities. A Jin."

"Yes, Your Highness." A Jin stepped forward, flicking his right wrist with a sharp snap. A slender whip appeared in his hand, its tip studded with tiny barbs that glinted coldly in the candlelight.

Crack— The whip lashed down mercilessly on the oblivious body. With a tearing sound, the barbs ripped away a strip of fabric along with flesh. Without pause, A Jin brought the whip down again— Crack!

Crack!

Before even five lashes had fallen, a pained groan came from the ground as one of the men finally opened his eyes. What greeted him was the whip, coiling toward him like a venomous serpent— "Ah!"

Crack—

"Aah...!"

"Spare me! Have mercy! Spare me... Aah!"

Mo Xiuyao leaned back in his wheelchair, his expression unchanging. "Tell this prince—where is the person you took?"

"N-no... I don't know. Your Highness, spare me... spare me...!"

Crack—

"Aah, it hurts... No, please! Your Highness, spare me! This lowly one truly doesn't know...!"

"All this prince wishes to know is the whereabouts of the person you abducted. Speak, and this prince will spare your life." Looking down at the man on the ground, Mo Xiuyao's gaze remained tranquil. Yet the man beneath that gaze trembled uncontrollably, whimpering, "This lowly... this servant truly doesn't know." Mo Xiuyao nodded. "This prince admires your backbone. May it also sustain your life." He wheeled himself closer to the man, who, despite the searing pain, watched his approach with a flicker of wild hope. The moment Mo Xiuyao drew near, the man suddenly lunged at him—but the prince in the wheelchair was faster. Just as the man was about to reach him, he collapsed to the ground. Then, with eerie precision, Mo Xiuyao's fingers struck various points on the man's body in rapid succession. A series of sickening cracks followed, accompanied by bloodcurdling screams. The man who had lunged like a tiger now lay beside the wheelchair like a discarded rag. Mo Xiuyao accepted a handkerchief from A Jin, wiping his right hand methodically as he turned his attention to the other man on the ground. "Now, are you willing to give this prince an answer?"

The gazes of those present fell upon the "rag" on the floor—and it was indeed aptly named. The once tall and sturdy man was now twisted into an unnatural, crumpled heap, as though every bone in his body had vanished in an instant, leaving behind only a limp, lifeless mass. Yet what chilled them more was the fact that the man was still alive.The youngest among them, Xu Qingyan, couldn't help but shiver at the sight before him, subtly moving closer to Xu Qingfeng for protection. Even following his fourth brother didn't feel safe anymore—among their brothers, the third brother's martial skills were undoubtedly the best.

The previously unconscious man began to tremble. "Spare... spare my life... Your Highness, spare me..."

"Where is the person you kidnapped?" Mo Xiuyao asked.

"Not in the capital... The boss... the boss left the capital as soon as he captured them..."

"Where did he go?"

"Wuwu... I really don’t know. The boss said our hideout wasn’t safe, and we’d move after this last job. I... I’ve never been there..." The burly man was so terrified he broke into pitiful sobs.

"Then tell me where you were originally."

"Black Cloud Peak... sixty li outside the capital. Wuwu... Your Highness, spare me..."

"Hand them over to Feng San. See if there’s anything else to extract. Prepare immediately—I’m leaving the city."

"Yes." A Jin coiled up her whip and effortlessly hauled two men out, each twice her size, without the slightest strain, striding away swiftly.

In the crude room, Ye Li lay on the bed while Qingluan sat on a stool beside it, both resting with their eyes closed. Though her eyes were shut, Qingluan’s face still bore traces of guilt and unease. She peeked at Ye Li, who was leaning against the wall by the bed, and whispered, "Miss, you should lie down and rest for a while. I’ll keep watch." Ye Li opened her eyes and smiled faintly. "We’ll rest for another half-hour. Tonight, you must find a way to leave this place." Qingluan’s eyes widened in shock. "How can that be? If anyone should leave first, it should be you, Miss. I know you’re not some helpless maiden—I’ll distract them, and you can break free on your own."

Ye Li shook her head. "Even if you leave, I’ll be fine. But if I disappear and you stay, they’ll kill you."

"That’s still not acceptable. I can’t abandon you, Miss," Qingluan insisted stubbornly.

Ye Li met her gaze firmly. "Once you return, you can send help. Judging by their confidence, this place won’t be easy to find." Qingluan’s mind was in turmoil as she hesitated, staring at Ye Li. Following her mistress’s orders seemed the right choice, yet an inexplicable unease gnawed at her. Ye Li smiled reassuringly. "Don’t worry. I’m your mistress, aren’t I? Your elder brother told you all to obey me—do you intend to defy my orders?"

"Miss..." Qingluan fidgeted helplessly, her eyes brimming with tears.

Ye Li softened her voice. "Be good, Qingluan. You must leave tonight. Perhaps... you’ll even meet someone unexpected later."

"Miss!" Qingluan stared at her in horror.

"Don’t be afraid. I have a way to escape on my own. Hurry down the mountain to seek help—don’t you want us to return home soon?" Ye Li coaxed with a smile. Finally, Qingluan nodded solemnly.

BANG!

The door was kicked open from outside. Qingluan leapt up from the bed, shielding Ye Li as she glared at the two burly men who barged in. "What do you want?"

The leader’s lecherous gaze fixed on Ye Li behind Qingluan. "So this is the Third Miss of the Ye family? This year’s top talent of the capital, Prince Ding’s betrothed?"The man following him was clearly a lackey, who smiled obsequiously and said, "Second Chief is right. This is the young lady the First Chief brought back."

The Second Chief rubbed his hands together with a lecherous grin. "What's Big Bro thinking? Locking up two such beauties here for what?"

The lackey froze, remembering his boss's orders, and quickly said, "Second Chief, these two beauties are off-limits."

The Second Chief snorted. "Once they're in our Ghost Cloud Mountain, who's off-limits to me?"

"Uh... this young lady is worth sixty thousand taels of silver. The First Chief specifically said, especially that Miss Ye, she absolutely cannot be touched."

"Sixty thousand?" The Second Chief's beady eyes gleamed with greed. His gaze lingered on Ye Li for a moment before shifting to Qingluan. He smirked, "Fine, for sixty thousand, I'll let her go for now. But this little maid is mine. Not as pretty as the other one, but still miles better than the ugly hags in our stronghold." With that, he lunged at Qingluan.

"Qingluan, now!"

Ye Li sprang up, swiftly maneuvering past Qingluan and the charging Second Chief to knock out the lackey standing behind them. Qingluan didn’t hesitate either—her seemingly delicate frame belied immense strength as she punched the man in the gut, then nimbly flipped behind him and struck the back of his neck. The tall, burly man collapsed without a sound. Behind them, Ye Li had already bolted the door shut.

"Young Miss."

Ye Li nodded approvingly. "Not bad, little one. You’ve got potential. No time to waste—do you remember the way down the mountain?" Qingluan thought for a moment and nodded. Though the bandits had blindfolded them on the way up, they hadn’t accounted for Qingluan’s martial training and sharp hearing. She couldn’t recall the exact path, but the general direction was clear. Ye Li said, "I suspect this stronghold is newly built, so its traps and defenses shouldn’t be too sophisticated. Be careful. Go."

"Young Miss, be safe."

Ye Li nodded, assuring her own safety repeatedly. Only after seeing Qingluan off did she turn back to the two unconscious men on the floor. She bent down, pulled a hairpin from her bun, and pricked a few inconspicuous pressure points on their bodies. Then she returned to the bed and closed her eyes to rest.

Sitting quietly, Ye Li kept her ears attuned to the outside. The mountain stronghold was silent at night—clearly, Qingluan hadn’t been discovered. Ye Li relaxed slightly. If Qingluan could successfully track the Wind and Moon noble with her Light Body Skill, she could be trusted, right? As long as they weren’t discovered within half an hour, that would be enough time for Qingluan to escape this damned Ghost Cloud—or was it Return Cloud?—Mountain.

Bang! The flimsy door was kicked open again, its hinges groaning under the force.

A one-eyed man barged in first. Spotting the unconscious men on the floor and Ye Li sitting calmly on the bed, he paused in surprise but, unexpectedly, didn’t fly into a rage. Instead, he waved a few men in to carry the fallen out.

"Seems I underestimated you," the one-eyed man said, glaring at Ye Li. "Where’s that maid?"Ye Li sighed helplessly in her heart. They had been discovered ahead of time—she could only hope Qingluan would make it safely down the mountain. "Didn't you see? She escaped," she said.

The one-eyed man narrowed his suspicious, somewhat menacing gaze at her. "Why didn't you leave with her? Or did that little traitor abandon her mistress?" he sneered. "For a mere maid to slip out of the stronghold unnoticed—now that's surprising."

Ye Li met his stare. "A group of bandits, bold enough to kidnap two people right under the Emperor's nose—I find that surprising too."

The one-eyed man snorted. "The men I sent to follow your maid to fetch the ransom still haven't returned. Care to guess what happened to them?"

Ye Li shook her head, feigning confusion.

"It seems your maid is quite skilled. Perhaps she's already gone down the mountain to seek help. What do you think you should do to save your life before reinforcements arrive?" The one-eyed man glared viciously at the composed young woman before him. Ye Li sighed helplessly and touched her carefully bandaged shoulder. "Perhaps you could consider taking a sum of money from me and leaving. I suspect your two subordinates haven't returned because they intended to harm my maid. Since you know this maid is skilled, you should realize the other one isn't weak either. So, our deal could still proceed."

"It seems Miss Ye enjoys using money to solve problems?" the one-eyed man sneered.

Ye Li shook her head again. "Didn't you accept money from someone to trouble me? Since they didn't pay for my life, I assume your goal has already been achieved. By tomorrow, rumors will spread throughout the capital that the Third Miss Ye was kidnapped by bandits. I'm merely spending some money to ensure I suffer no real harm, and you won't violate your agreement with them. A win-win situation, isn't it?"

"That does sound reasonable."

"Someone once told me that any problem solvable with money isn't a real problem. This time, I won't renege. I'll pay you as soon as I'm free, and I can even give you a deposit now," Ye Li said with a faint smile.

"What if I refuse?" The one-eyed man narrowed his eye.

Ye Li replied calmly, "If I die, the Ye family, the Xu family, and the Ding Royal Palace will spare no effort to hunt you down. If I survive, I'll consider offering my entire fortune—perhaps including the Xu family's dowry and the Ding Royal Palace's betrothal gifts—as a bounty for your capture. I won't demand your life; I'll pay a thousand taels for every wound inflicted on you. How many people do you think would take the job?"

The one-eyed man's lips twitched. "That's vicious. Assuming you can even find me."

Ye Li's smile grew even more serene. "Someone from the Pavilion of Heavenly Unity owes me a life."

The mocking grin on the one-eyed man's face finally froze completely. The malice in his single eye gradually faded, replaced by a sharp, commanding aura. Though his face remained terrifying, he suddenly seemed more like a man of authority.

"No wonder you're Mo Xiuyao's woman. Truly extraordinary."

Ye Li gave a bitter smile. "Just trying to survive. Perhaps you'd be willing to show your true face? To be honest, I dislike speaking to someone wearing a mask." The one-eyed man stared at her in surprise. "You can tell? I thought my disguise was flawless." Ye Li replied, "I suppose I'm just sensitive to such things. There's still a difference between a mask and real skin, isn't there?"

The one-eyed man rubbed his face in annoyance. "I was in a hurry. It's a shoddy job." He then asked, "Since you know someone wants to ruin your reputation, do you know what they specifically demanded?" Ye Li met his gaze. "I'd like to hear the details."

The one-eyed man sat down nearby, watching her with amusement. "They demanded... your virtue be taken. And I mean truly... taken."

Ye Li's eyes turned cold. "It's a woman."

The one-eyed man raised an eyebrow in surprise. Ye Li frowned. "Only women use such cruel methods against other women."

The one-eyed man shrugged. "I definitely won't tell you who it is. Aren't you afraid?"Ye Li looked at him seriously, thought for a moment, and said, "You don't actually plan to do this, do you?"

The man nodded and laughed heartily, "I have to admit, Mo Xiuyao does have a discerning eye. At least he's much better than that idiot Mo Jingli. Indeed, I have no such intention. After all, I don’t plan to provoke Mo Xiuyao over a few thousand taels of silver."

"You know Mo Xiuyao," Ye Li pointed out.

The one-eyed man didn’t deny it. He stood up and said, "Now we can leave. Miss Ye, let’s go collect the money I deserve, and then I’ll send you home. How does that sound? I estimate Mo Xiuyao will arrive in another hour or two, and this place isn’t safe." Ye Li stood up indifferently and asked, "What about the people in this stronghold?" The one-eyed man turned and gave her a twisted smile, "You don’t actually think I’m the real bandit leader, do you? Don’t worry. Though I’m not the leader, everyone here is a genuine, ruthless bandit. If they fall into Mo Xiuyao’s hands, it’s just their bad luck."

"Did you kill the original one-eyed leader?" Ye Li followed the man as they weaved through the crude huts. Occasionally, patrolling bandits saluted the one-eyed man, and upon seeing Ye Li behind him, they all exchanged knowing, lewd grins. "The security here is really poor, no wonder Qingluan didn’t alert anyone in the stronghold."

"You even understand this? It’s indeed terrible. Without my help, these idiots would’ve been caught before even leaving the capital," the one-eyed man replied. "That greedy bastard is sound asleep in his room. He wanted to keep all the reward money for himself. I always make my own money and leave others with none. When Mo Xiuyao arrives, he’ll be the perfect scapegoat. What do you think of that plan?"

Ye Li nodded indifferently, eyeing the increasingly secluded path ahead. "Are we leaving from here?"

The man nodded. "Don’t worry. Once I get the money, I’ll return you to the Ye family unharmed." Just as he was about to activate a hidden mechanism, faint, unusual sounds echoed from the foot of the mountain. Ye Li remained expressionless, but the one-eyed man’s face darkened instantly. He cursed under his breath, "Damn it! How could he get here so fast?" Abandoning their original route, he grabbed Ye Li’s hand and sprinted in another direction.

"We’re not taking the secret passage?"

"It’s not safe, and it’s too winding. We might get cornered," the man said. The sounds grew louder, yet the stronghold remained eerily silent. Clearly, the newcomers were all experts, and the ragtag bandits hadn’t even noticed their presence. The man pulled Ye Li toward the back mountain. "There’s another path back there. It’s a bit treacherous, but it leads straight to a valley. Mo Xiuyao won’t find us anytime soon."

"But I..." Ye Li began.

"Don’t worry, my Light Body Skill is excellent. I can take you down with me."

"But I want to renege on the deal!" Ye Li laughed.