Ren Yaoqi ordered people to carry Yun Qiufang back, reassuring everyone, "This is the Commandery Princess's white tiger. Don't be afraid—it understands human nature and won't harm anyone."
Yun Qiufang was carried away, and Yan Ningshuang was helped to her feet.
The fear on her face had yet to fade, and the gaze she fixed on Ren Yaoqi was filled with undisguised loathing and hatred.
She shook off the maids supporting her and took a step toward Ren Yaoqi. "You..."
But just as she was about to take a second step, Silly Girl, who had been lying obediently under the tree, suddenly stood up, arching its back and letting out a low growl in their direction. This roar was entirely different from its usual cooing "aowu—" when it acted cute; it carried the true majesty of the king of the mountains, startling everyone into taking a step back.
Yan Ningshuang was also frightened into withdrawing her foot. She glared at the white tiger, which was now eyeing her with hostility, as if it would pounce and tear out her throat if she dared take another step forward.
Ren Yaoqi stood still, not moving to comfort Silly Girl, but simply watching Yan Ningshuang quietly. After a long moment, she smiled gently and instructed softly, "Hurry and help Miss Yan back to rest."
Only after everyone had left the garden did Ren Yaoqi walk over to Silly Girl and pat its head, murmuring, "They say an animal's heart is the purest, so it can easily sense hostility in others."
Silly Girl didn’t understand what Ren Yaoqi was saying, but it loved having its head patted, so it affectionately rubbed its large head against her hand. "Aowu—"
Ren Yaoqi gave it another pat. "You sneaked out today and caused trouble. I’m afraid your master will punish you with three baths before letting it go."
Silly Girl’s body, which had been playfully acting cute, stiffened. It looked up at Ren Yaoqi pitifully. "Aowu—"
Leshan and Leshui couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
Leshui said, "Miss, this tiger is so clever it must be a spirit, right? I’ve heard white tigers are highly spiritual, so it’s easy for them to become supernatural beings."
Ren Yaoqi walked out of the garden, with Silly Girl trailing dejectedly behind her.
Ren Yaoqi instructed Pingguo, "Go find Granny Duan and have her send someone to take Silly Girl back."
She had thought today’s farce was over, but it turned out the day’s events were not yet finished.
After the earlier commotion in the garden, some of the young ladies who hadn’t gone far had curiously returned, while the more cautious ones had sent their maids or matrons to see what had happened.
As Ren Yaoqi led Silly Girl out of the garden, she heard waves of screams.
Ren Yaoqi sighed and glanced back at Silly Girl.
Silly Girl stared with innocent, wide eyes. "Aowu?"
Just as she was about to say a few words to calm the chaotic scene, she suddenly heard an even more piercing scream from the distance: "Ah—there’s a thief—someone, help!"
Under normal circumstances, such a shriek would have been terrifying, but tonight, with Silly Girl’s appearance, everyone had already been frightened once. Hearing someone shout "thief" now didn’t cause too much panic; instead, most faces showed confusion.
Upon hearing this, however, Ren Yaoqi’s heart tightened. She quickly said, "Don’t panic, everyone go to Yunqi Pavilion and stay there!"If there really were intruders, these people running around chaotically could easily cause trouble. Everyone should take shelter in Yunqi Pavilion, close the doors, and wait for the guards to arrive upon hearing the commotion—then it would be safe.
But although this wasn’t the inner courtyard of the hot spring villa, there were guards stationed outside. How could intruders possibly get in?
These young ladies who had returned to watch the excitement were all quite young, and they all ran toward Yunqi Pavilion. However, before Ren Yaoqi could reach the entrance of Yunqi Pavilion, she saw a figure in black dart out from the shadows. Both sides froze upon seeing each other.
This person was dressed in night attire, with only their eyes visible, their mouth and nose covered by a mask. Ren Yaoqi was momentarily stunned when she met their gaze, while the figure in black halted and stood motionless.
Those who hadn’t yet managed to hide in Yunqi Pavilion screamed again.
Ren Yaoqi had heard that some thieves or spies would cover their faces when operating at night. She thought that if this practice was meant to prevent recognition, then either the parties involved were complete strangers, or the intruder’s appearance was too ordinary, lacking any distinctive features, so even without a mask, they wouldn’t be recognized.
Clearly, the intruder before her didn’t meet either condition, so Ren Yaoqi recognized at a glance that this was an acquaintance.
Ren Yaoqi didn’t know why she had the leisure to ponder this at such a moment. Perhaps it was because Leshan, Leshui, and Silly Girl were nearby, making her feel less afraid. Or perhaps the situation was so absurd that she felt powerless and helpless even facing it.
The guards of the hot spring villa reacted quickly, arriving before the figure in black could approach them.
"Who are you?" the guard shouted, finding it strange that the figure in black stood there without speaking, moving, or appearing to attack anyone.
Just then, someone gasped and stammered, "Yun... Yun... Second Young Master Yun..."
Some admired the Yun family’s eldest young master for his gentle, jade-like demeanor, while others were infatuated with the Yun family’s second young master for his handsome, unrestrained charm. Among the young ladies of Yunyang City, many regarded Yun Wenfang as the man of their dreams, and there were plenty who paid attention to him openly or in secret. The young lady who recognized the masked Second Young Master Yun was one of them.
At this point, the guards also realized what was happening and looked at the man in black with confusion.
The man in black seemed to think of something and let out a scoffing laugh. He then raised his hand and pulled off the mask covering his face, revealing handsome features with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes.
Seeing that it was indeed Second Young Master Yun, the guards breathed a sigh of relief. Just as they were about to ask why he was dressed like this and what he was doing here, a voice spoke up first: "Second Brother? What are you doing here? What’s with this outfit?"
Not far away, Yun Qiuchen, the Yun family’s eldest miss, and the Su family’s eldest miss hurried over.
Upon hearing this, Yun Wenfang turned to look at Yun Qiuchen. His dark eyes were unfathomable, and even the mocking smile that had been on his face earlier disappeared.
Yun Qiuchen met Yun Wenfang’s gaze, then calmly shifted her eyes away. She scanned the people present and finally settled on Ren Yaoqi. After glancing at Silly Girl behind Ren Yaoqi, she stopped about five or six steps away from her. "Miss Ren, what happened? Did my second brother cause any trouble?"Ren Yaoqi glanced at Yun Qiuchen. "I just saw Third Miss Yun and Miss Yan off, so I'm not sure what happened here."
At that moment, rustling sounds came from the grass nearby. A guard standing to the side moved swiftly, darting like lightning into the grass, where he grabbed and hauled out a servant dressed in servant's attire clutching a bundle, then threw him to the ground.
The servant fell flat on his face, trembling as he lifted his head to look around, then immediately lowered it again in fear. The bundle he had been holding fell to the ground, scattering silver notes and gold and silver nuggets everywhere.
The guard frowned, bent down to pick up the bundle, and asked, "Did you steal this?"
The servant quickly shook his head. "No, no, I'm not a thief, I..."
Yun Qiuchen, standing nearby, glanced at the servant and her expression darkened. "Ah Fu? What are you doing here?"
Ren Yaoqi looked at Yun Qiuchen, then at the servant kneeling on the ground, and frowned.
Seeing that the Yun Family Eldest Miss knew the servant, the guard grew even more puzzled. However, the servant had been sneaking around with a bundle full of money, so there was surely something suspicious going on. He glanced at the others, then walked up to Ren Yaoqi and said, "Miss Ren, this person is acting suspiciously. Should we take him away for questioning first?"
The guards at the hot spring villa today were all under Xiao Hua's command, and Xiao Hua was Xiao Jingxi's trusted confidant. They had been instructed earlier, and now that the masters of Yanbei Prince's Mansion were not present, they naturally sought instructions from the future mistress.
Just as Ren Yaoqi was about to answer, the servant named Ah Fu suddenly scrambled toward Yun Wenfang, crawling and stumbling. "Young Master, save me—save me! I was following your orders, waiting here for you! You said you would come to take Ren... uh... pfft..."
Before Ah Fu could finish his sentence, Yun Wenfang suddenly glared fiercely and kicked him in the throat. Ah Fu's words were choked off, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Yun Wenfang's gaze was as cold as ice. Before the guards could rush forward to stop him, he swiftly stepped forward and pressed his hard-soled boot against Ah Fu's neck. With a sickening crack, Ah Fu didn't even have time to cry out in pain before his throat was crushed under Yun Wenfang's foot. His eyes widened in death, unseeing.
The incident happened too quickly. Everyone stood frozen, staring at the scene until someone screamed.
Yun Wenfang expressionlessly wiped his boot clean on Ah Fu's corpse, then slowly turned his head and stared coldly at Yun Qiuchen, advancing toward her step by step.
Yun Qiuchen felt a chill in her heart. She forced herself not to retreat, though her body trembled uncontrollably.
She had never seen Yun Wenfang like this before. She had always believed she understood her second brother. Since childhood, Yun Wenfang would go to any lengths to get what he wanted, even resorting to unscrupulous means and disregarding the consequences. He never cared if his actions hurt anyone, nor did he fear bringing trouble to his family. Accustomed to having his own way, he saw only what he desired.
Yun Qiuchen had thought this time would be no different.
"Second Brother, what are you doing?" Yun Qiuchen tried to steady herself, speaking in a calm tone.
Yun Wenfang continued to stare at her with those dark, intense eyes. When he was just a step away, he reached out his hand.Yun Qiuchen was startled. She turned to glance at Ren Yaoqi, her voice trembling uncontrollably as she cried out, "Second Brother!"
Yun Wenfang paused, lowering his hand. He curled his lips into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Don't you know what I'm about to do? Who would know better than you?"
Yun Qiuchen breathed a sigh of relief and forced a smile. "What do you mean, Second Brother?"
Yun Wenfang raised an eyebrow at her, resuming his usual careless tone, but his words were provocative enough to stir the imagination. "Didn't you instruct that servant to say I was here to elope with someone? And now you ask me what I mean? I should be asking you how this play is supposed to unfold!"
As soon as Yun Wenfang spoke, the crowd erupted in murmurs. Astonished gazes darted back and forth between Yun Wenfang and Yun Qiuchen. This scandalous secret, so thrilling it made their blood race, made them forget their earlier fear of the dead. Those who had wanted to flee couldn't help but stop in their tracks, eager to hear what the siblings would say next.
Yun Qiuchen's face paled, though she maintained her usual composure. "I don't understand what you mean, Second Brother. What elopement... How can you say such things in public?"
Yun Wenfang sneered, then suddenly changed expression and slapped Yun Qiuchen hard across the face.
Yun Wenfang had trained in martial arts, and after years of practice, his skills were quite formidable. Even an ordinary man would struggle to withstand such a blow. Moreover, Yun Wenfang showed no mercy or consideration for their sibling bond. Yun Qiuchen was knocked to the ground by the slap, blood immediately gushing from her mouth and nose. One side of her face swelled rapidly. She collapsed without even a cry, unable to get up, though she remained conscious.
"This slap should remind you that while shameless ambition is one thing, don't think just anyone can be your stepping stone!"
OpenNovel