Just as Zhuge Yue, Yan Xun, and Wei Shu Ye were galloping swiftly on horseback toward Zhuge Xi's residence, the Chu Niang Hall—usually filled with the constant sounds of silk and bamboo music—fell into a deathly silence.
Blood dripped slowly from the tip of a sharp dagger, landing on the carpet made of white camel wool from the Western Regions. It quickly soaked in, forming a crimson pattern. The night wind blew in through a corner window, cool and dissipating the room's lingering scent of extravagance. In the brightly lit Chu Niang Hall, Zhuge Xi, his aged face panicked, clutched his neck and stared in disbelief at the child who barely reached his shoulders. As the sand in the hourglass trickled away, the old man finally fell to his knees with a heavy thud.
"Are you begging me to spare you?" The child's voice was soft. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes glancing coldly at the old man's face. A wave of nausea churned in her stomach, threatening to make her vomit, as the memory of Zhi Xiang and the others' mutilated bodies from that dark night stabbed at her nerves like knives. Leaning closer, she whispered, "So many people once begged you to spare them too. Why didn't you let them go?"
Zhuge Xi lay on the ground, blood gushing from his neck like a fountain. The pampered nobleman, who cherished his life above all else, trembled like a leaf. He stretched out his bloodied arms, crawling forward in a desperate attempt to escape this devilish child. A long trail of blood smeared across the floor, stark and horrifying.
"You've lived far too long. It's time to pay the price. If heaven won't claim you, I will." With a sharp crack, the blade sliced through bone, cleanly severing it. Blood erupted from the cavity, splattering the ground in dark, foul-smelling purple.
Chu Qiao held Zhuge Xi's head, its eyes wide open in death, and emotionlessly tossed it to the floor with a thud. She then turned and walked toward the ten young slave girls huddled fearfully in the corner. The children stared at her in terror, pressing tightly together. In their eyes, this child who had suddenly broken free from her bonds and audaciously killed Lord Zhuge was nothing short of insane—a demon from hell. They failed to realize that without her, few of them would have remained unharmed.
Pulling forward a fair-faced girl of about ten years old, Chu Qiao saw her face pale with fear, lips trembling too much to form coherent words. Chu Qiao lowered her head, her voice cool and detached. "Are you scared?"
The girl stared blankly, nodding incessantly in terror, afraid she would become the next headless corpse. Tears and mucus streamed down her face, but she dared not make a sound.
"If you're scared, then scream."
Despite her youth, the girl, born into poverty, understood enough. She shook her head frantically, sobbing, "I won't make a sound! I didn't see anything! Please, let me go."
Chu Qiao frowned impatiently. "Did I not make myself clear? Scream."
"Please," the girl begged incoherently, "let me go! I'll serve you like a horse or an ox... Ah!"
The eight-year-old abruptly raised her dagger and thrust it toward the girl's neck. The pleading child instantly let out a sharp scream. With a swift swoosh, the sharp blade grazed her neck and embedded itself deeply into the bedpost behind her. The screaming girl, however, remained completely unharmed."What's going on? Master, what happened... Ah! Murder!" The guard stationed outside the door cautiously poked his head in upon hearing the noise, but before he could finish speaking, he saw Zhuge Xi lying on the ground covered in blood. The young servant was terrified out of his wits, let out a scream, fell backward onto the floor, scrambled up in a panic, and staggered away. Chu Qiao weighed the dagger in her hand, silently calculating the time. Estimating that the entire mansion's guards had heard the commotion, she swiftly threw the dagger. With unerring accuracy, it flew a hundred paces and pierced the back of the servant's skull, emerging from his forehead!
The sound of chaotic footsteps immediately erupted. The child quickly returned to the group of young slaves. Just then, over twenty burly men rushed fiercely into the room. Upon seeing Zhuge Xi's decapitated corpse, their faces turned ashen.
"What happened?"
The lead guard roared furiously, demanding answers from the young slaves in the room.
"Murder!" The eight-year-old child cried out before anyone else could speak, tears immediately streaming down her face. She screamed in terror, "Someone was killed! Sob... They killed Master Zhuge, and also... It's so scary, sob..."
The child wept with snot and tears, her small face pale with fright. Her words trembled, as if even her tongue was shaking. The lead guard angrily asked, "Which way did they go?"
"There!" The child pointed toward the slightly ajar window to the south. "They went through there!"
"A few of you stay behind, the rest follow me!"
The guards rushed out of the room in a flurry, leaving only three men to guard the corpse of the extravagant old Master Zhuge.
The other children all stared at Chu Qiao in horror. The child who had just deceived the guards of the Zhuge residence now held a crossbow, her face devoid of any trace of fear or trembling. With a light smile at the corner of her mouth, she watched the servants examining the old master's body and let out a sharp, clear whistle. "Hey! Stop wasting your effort."
The three men turned around, their faces instantly paling with shock. But before they could let out a scream, three crossbow bolts shot out in quick succession, swift as a meteor chasing the moon, piercing straight into their astonished skulls. Blood dripped profusely as thud, thud, thud—three corpses fell to the ground simultaneously, loyally following their Master Zhuge to the netherworld.
"Ah!" One of the young slaves screamed in terror. Chu Qiao moved swiftly, covering the child's mouth with her hand and pouting as she said, "When I told you to scream, you didn't. Now you're just causing trouble."
All the children turned pale, sobbing softly. Chu Qiao let out a long sigh and slowly said, "What I'm about to say is very important. Listen carefully if you want to save your lives, understand?"
The children immediately stopped crying, their eyes wide as they stared at her.
"I am one of Steward Zhu Shun's people. That old monster was utterly inhuman, always harming children. Steward Zhu couldn't stand it anymore and sent me to kill him. This was an act of justice for the people. None of you are allowed to reveal this and betray Steward Zhu. No matter what tortures the Zhuge residence uses on you, you must not speak. Steward Zhu will save you. Remember that?"
The children nodded hurriedly, each one trembling like frightened rabbits.Chu Qiao smiled faintly. The net had been cast, and now she only needed to wait for the fish to swim into it. Even if these children were truly righteous enough to endure torture without revealing her words, or even if they did speak, the Zhuge family might not believe them. However, all the servants in Green Mountain Courtyard had witnessed Zhu Shun’s men taking her to Zhuge Xi’s residence. That alone was enough to implicate him. Death was inevitable—the only question now was how he would die.
She glanced at the hourglass. The timing was perfect; there was still enough time to slip back quietly and meet Xiao Ba, who was escaping through the back door.
Everything was proceeding far too smoothly.
Just as she was about to leave through the main gate, a hand suddenly clamped tightly around the child’s ankle. Chu Qiao looked down and saw that it was a guard who had not yet fully died.
“Aiding a tyrant—you deserve to die!” A cold gleam flashed in Chu Qiao’s eyes as she yanked the arrow from the man’s forehead. The corpse convulsed a few times before falling still. She tried several times to pry his hand open but couldn’t free her foot. Enraged, the child drew the long blade from the guard’s waist and, with a sickening thud, severed his hand.
“What are you doing?”
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