In the pitch-black darkness outside Zhenhuang City, a short, shadowy figure hurried along the plank road east of the city gate. A large leather coat concealed the child's head, face, and figure, while a small sable-fur bag on their back bulged heavily, clearly weighing a great deal.
The snowstorm grew fiercer, the wind howling so fiercely it was almost impossible to keep one's eyes open. The child trudged forward with difficulty but never stopped, as if pursued by some ferocious beast.
Amid the roaring wind, the crisp sound of hoofbeats suddenly rang out. Across the distant plain, a pure black warhorse galloped swiftly closer. The rider was a small, thin child, no more than seven or eight years old, dressed in the uniform of a Yanbei guard. Their dark eyes scanned the night like a sharp eagle's, and upon spotting the lone figure ahead, they brightened instantly. With a crack of the whip, they quickly closed the distance.
"Xiao Ba!" Chu Qiao shouted, but the raging gale tore her voice to shreds in an instant. The child ahead remained unaware, head bowed as they hurried on. Chu Qiao urged her horse forward, blocking the child's path in a few strides. Frowning, she said sternly, "Xiao Ba?"
"Heh heh," a low, hoarse laugh suddenly erupted. The small figure lifted their head, revealing a face full of wrinkles—not a young child at all, but a middle-aged dwarf around forty years old!
In that split second, a sleeve dart shot from the dwarf's sleeve, streaking straight for Chu Qiao's face. The cold wind carried a sharp, lethal force. Caught off guard, the child let out a muffled grunt and tumbled from the horse's back.
A raspy, cold laugh slowly rose, eerie in the frigid night. The dwarf tossed aside the bag on their back and stepped forward, kicking the child's leg. Seeing the child lie motionless as a corpse, they crouched to check for breath.
"The master really has lost his mind, sending me to deal with such a little brat," the dwarf sneered, flipping the child's prone body over.
But in that flash of lightning, the seemingly limp child on the ground sprang up explosively. Their eyes shone like brilliant stars, movements bursting with power. A fierce, killing intent swept through the icy wind. In the blink of an eye, the captive turned the tables, pressing a cold, sharp dagger hard against the dwarf's carotid artery. Then, with a spit, they ejected the sleeve dart they had been holding in their mouth onto the ground.
"Speak! Where is Xiao Ba?"
The child's voice was icy cold. The dagger pressed forward, its edge cutting skin, and bright red blood immediately seeped out.
"Wh-what Xiao Ba?" The sinister, eerie man instantly lost his earlier arrogance, his voice trembling with fear of death. "I don't know any Xiao Ba. I'm just hired help."
Chu Qiao's voice remained calm as she said slowly, "Xiao Ba is the owner of this bag—the child you were impersonating."
"I—I don't know," the dwarf stammered. "Fourth Young Master's people found me. I'm a retainer of the Zhuge family. I have no grudge against you.""You didn't know?" The child frowned, sizing up the man with a few glances. Seeing the dwarf nodding frantically, fury instantly surged in his heart. With a downward press of the wrist—vertical alignment, finding the point, piercing, rotation, horizontal pull—the man's eyes suddenly widened, pupils dilated, limbs stiffened, and he immediately stopped breathing, leaving only a long bloodstain stretched across his neck.
"You're not suited to be a retainer assassin. Since you'll die sooner or later anyway, you might as well do some good before death." The child coldly stared at the dwarf's corpse, then crouched down and, with a swing of the blade, sliced open the large cloak he was wearing.
Tonight was destined to be an unsuitable night for peaceful sleep in Zhenhuang City. Though it was already late, the eastern gate remained brightly lit. The fourth young master of the Zhuge residence personally took command, demanding that half of Zhenhuang's garrison mobilize to help him pursue and capture a runaway slave from the Zhuge estate.
Several groups had already been dispatched one after another, yet there was still no news in return. Zhuge Yue sat on his horse, the eastern gate behind him resembling a massive lion slumbering under the boundless night sky. The servants of the Zhuge estate followed behind him, everyone holding their breath and staying silent, afraid to disturb this enraged tiger.
"Fourth Young Master!"
Zhu Cheng, dressed in a gray robe, quickly approached with a lowered posture, leaning close to Zhuge Yue's ear to whisper, "Fourth Young Master, the eldest young master has sent someone to say you must return to the estate immediately."
Zhuge Yue acted as if he hadn't heard, continuing to stare ahead expressionlessly. Zhu Cheng anxiously added, "The messenger said Yan Xun has escaped, forcibly leaving the city with people from the hostage residence. The Wei family suffered a major setback—Wei Shuyou had two fingers chopped off and was taken hostage."
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Yue raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, then frowned and said, "Yan Xun?"
"Yes," Zhu Cheng replied, "It happened on the main street of Jiuwei, between White Orchid Temple and Zihui Square."
The young Zhuge Yue said in a deep voice, "From which direction did Yan Xun and his group come?"
"It seems... it seems from the direction of Chishui Lake."
"Bold!" Zhuge Yue snorted coldly, his sword-like eyebrows rising as he instantly understood why Wei Shu Ye had earlier surrounded the Zhuge branch residence and clashed with the servants inside. The youth's brows were tightly knit, his eyes dark as ink, as if brewing a massive storm. Gripping the reins tightly, he said in a low voice, "In which direction did Yan Xun flee?"
"Fourth Young Master!" Zhu Cheng exclaimed in alarm, "The eldest young master specifically instructed you not to interfere in this matter. You absolutely must not!"
Zhuge Yue raised an eyebrow, about to speak, when suddenly the sound of galloping hooves came from ahead. A black Liang horse, unique to Yanbei, swiftly appeared in everyone's sight. A small-framed figure wearing a large cloak rode back and, before even reaching them, threw a thin corpse onto the snowy ground with a thud from a distance. The corpse was clad in blue leather armor, unmistakably the attire of a servant from Yan Xun's hostage residence.
Zhuge Yue's eyes instantly gleamed sharply, his sword-like eyebrows tightly furrowed. A servant nearby shouted loudly, "Fourth Young Master, Hu Sheng has returned."Zhuge Yue stared at the corpse on the ground. The body was stiff, the hair disheveled, and the clothes were stained with a mixture of blood and mud—clearly, the person had been dead for some time. An uncontrollable rage surged within him. He slowly raised his head, his sharp gaze fixed on the dwarf no taller than three feet mounted on the horse, and spoke word by word, "You killed her?"
The man called Husheng swiftly dismounted, took two steps forward, and knelt heavily on the ground with a thud. His voice, low and barely discernible in the northern wind, was as hard and unyielding as raw iron as he declared, "I have fulfilled my mission!"
"When did I order you to kill her?" Zhuge Yue erupted in fury. He strode forward, lashing his whip heavily across the man's back, and roared, "You deserve death!"
"Master!" "Ah! There's an assassin!"
A series of startled cries erupted abruptly. Just as Zhuge Yue's whip landed on the man's back, the figure kneeling on the ground suddenly lifted his head. The face was youthful, as delicate as a lotus flower—nothing like the rough-skinned dwarf assassin. The child sneered as he endured the lash, then sprang up like a swift leopard. In an instant, a dagger flashed out, pressing against Zhuge Yue's throat. With a small grappling technique, he restrained Zhuge Yue's struggles.
"You're not dead?" Zhuge Yue's eyes flickered, his voice low and deliberate. Yet, in that moment and under such circumstances, it was impossible to discern whether his tone carried joy or anger.
"Thanks to your kind words, I'm still very much alive." Chu Qiao stared coldly at Zhuge Yue, her gaze venomous and icy, as she slowly said, "But I'm not so sure how much longer you'll live."
"Release my sister!" The howling wind swept through as Chu Qiao shouted sharply, her voice cutting through the air. "Otherwise, you can go meet your Zhuge family's patriarch in the underworld!"
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