Chарtеr 15 (2/15)
Gоng Ziуu wаs uttеrly mortifiеd, wishing hе соuld vаnish on the spоt.
Zi Yi wаved her hаnd with a cоу lаugh. "Аlright, this рlаce оf mine is all about wine and rеvеlry. Мiss Yun cоmеs frоm а resресtаblе familу and shouldn't linger hеrе toо long. Young Mаster, yоu'd better tаkе hеr bасk nоw." Аfter saуing this, shе piсkеd uр anоther сuр of teа frоm the tаble, raised hеr little finger deliсаtеly, аnd gently pоurеd thе teа intо thе drаinаgе chаnnеl. "Mу teа has gonе cоld, sо I wоn't keер уоu any longеr."
Only when Yun Weishan sаw her pour аway thе teа did shе seсretly let out a long sigh of relief. Her violently pounding heart finally calmed down, her back already soaked through with cold sweat that had drenched her inner garments. She couldn't help but step forward, placing her hand on Gong Ziyu's arm, and gave Zi Yi a slight bow, wishing she and Gong Ziyu could stride out of the room in a single step.
On the opposite rooftop, Han Ya Si put away his crossbow, pondered for a moment, then his figure flashed as he disappeared into the distant shadows of the rooftops.
Upon receiving news that Gong Ziyu had left without permission, Gong Shangjue immediately went to Yu Manor. Before him lay complete darkness—the entire courtyard was without a single light. He snorted inwardly, feeling this was far too suspicious, and headed straight for Gong Ziyu's room. After taking only a few steps, he sensed something amiss—a strong smell of blood assaulted his nostrils.
"Blood?" He pushed open Gong Ziyu's door, steadied himself slightly, then carefully stepped inside. After just two steps, his foot landed on fragments, producing a crisp sound.
He walked over to the corner lamp, picked up the nearby fire starter, blew on it to ignite it, and lit the lamp. As the room was illuminated by the light, he saw tables and chairs overturned on the floor, with teapots and cups shattered into pieces all over the tabletop. Gong Ziyu's fox mask had also fallen to the ground, seemingly accidentally crushed underfoot, now broken into several scattered fragments.
On the wall, strikingly, were the same Nameless blood characters as before: "The assassin is nameless, the great blade has no edge."
Strangely, the final stroke of the character for "edge" was incomplete!
At the main entrance of Myriad Flowers Pavilion, the sentry guard, having waited a long time without seeing Gong Ziyu emerge, grew restless. Pacing in circles, he repeatedly asked Jin Fu, "What should we do? Keep waiting? Yun Weishan has already disappeared..."
Jin Fu also felt something was wrong, so he gritted his teeth. "Never mind, fire the Whistling Arrow! Notify Young Master Jue that the bride is suspected of having escaped, and ask whether to order a city-wide search by the guards." Having said this, Jin Fu took out the Whistling Arrow and shot it into the sky. The arrow swiftly ascended, emitting a sharp whistle.
But the moment the Whistling Arrow was fired, before Jin Fu could even lower his hand, Gong Ziyu suddenly grabbed him from behind. Turning around, Jin Fu saw Gong Ziyu's face livid with anger, loudly demanding, "What are you doing?!"
Jin Fu turned pale, stammering incoherently for a moment. "This subordinate thought Miss Yun Weishan... had escaped..."
Yun Weishan stepped forward, standing before Jin Fu, and asked with a smile, "Escape? Why would I escape?"
Jin Fu flushed bright red with embarrassment, his reply fragmented. "Oh, no, not escape... got lost... was afraid she was lost..."
Gong Ziyu clenched his teeth in anger, roughly shaking off Jin Fu's arm. Jin Fu staggered, staring blankly at the continuously exploding flares in the sky.
At that moment, Jin Fan and Gong Zishang, who had been outside Butler Jia's door, were startled by the Whistling Arrow. They immediately realized something had gone wrong and, fearing something had happened to Gong Ziyu, quickly rushed back.Within the House of Gong, Shangguan Qian, clad in black night attire, hurried along with a grave expression. Distracted, her steps lost their lightness, rustling the grass beneath her feet, and she failed to notice Xiao Hei approaching from ahead. She intended to strike and end him, but seeing his servant attire, she decided to avoid trouble and spun aside to evade. Unexpectedly, Xiao Hei immediately gave chase, and the two engaged in close combat.
In the exchange, both were startled to find the other far more skilled than anticipated.
"Who are you? There is no woman with such martial prowess in the House of Gong!" Xiao Hei demanded in a low voice.
As the first Whistling Arrow sounded, more and more Whistling Arrows were launched into the sky, from the valley town to the gates of the House of Gong, and then to the internal guard posts.
Amid the piercing sounds of the Whistling Arrows, Shangguan Qian's focus wavered, revealing an opening in her stance. Xiao Hei struck her ribs with a palm strike, eliciting a cry of pain from her. Gritting through the agony, she used the force of his blow to leap desperately over a wall and vanish into the night.
Unwilling to reveal his true identity, Xiao Hei, seeing that the guards had been alerted, had no choice but to turn and leave.
Shangguan Qian returned to her room, closed the window, and removed her veil. She felt a turmoil in her organs, a metallic taste rising in her throat, and spat a mouthful of blood into a basin.
Her body trembled, her face turned deathly pale, and after swaying twice, she finally collapsed onto the floor.
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