Lu Zhao rested continuously at the inn for two days, gradually regaining her vitality.
Qiao Bing breathed a sigh of relief and instructed his men to pack their belongings, preparing to depart.
At noon, Qiao Chi brought food to her room and reminded her, “Father says we’ll rest one more night and set off for Xuanping City first thing tomorrow morning. Does the Seventh Prince have anything else that needs to be prepared?”
Lu Zhao nodded, “There will inevitably be bumps and scrapes along the way, so I do need to procure some medicinal herbs.” She casually listed a few herbs and added, “Have the pharmacy assistant grind these herbs into powder and store each type separately in porcelain bottles. I need to prepare some defensive medicines.”
Qiao Chi silently memorized her request without further questions. After delivering the meal, he went out to help with the preparations.
Lu Zhao followed him out and leaned against the second-floor railing, overlooking the entire inn.
It was mealtime, and the inn was bustling with people coming and going. The sounds of conversation and laughter filled the air, creating a strong atmosphere of daily life…
Only at this moment did she truly feel grounded.
The live stream audience remained silent, watching with keen interest alongside her for over half an hour.
That night, Qiao Chi once again laid out his bedding on the floor, keeping watch in her room.
The dim candlelight in the room flickered, casting shadows on the young man’s reclining figure.
Lu Zhao opened her eyes, her gaze falling on his right wrist where the bandage had been removed.
It seemed the folk remedy she provided worked well.
Faint noises came from outside the window, accompanied by the subtle scent of kerosene drifting in with the cold air.
Lu Zhao got up and dressed. The person on the floor stirred slightly at the sound, beginning to wake. As she passed by, her sleeve gently brushed the air, releasing a medicinal fragrance that gradually lulled him back to sleep.
She walked to the window and lightly pushed it open, creating a narrow gap.
Looking down from this angle, she could see the entire street in front of the inn. The lanterns under the inn’s eaves swayed gently, their warm orange light illuminating only a limited area. Within that illuminated space, the street was surrounded by soldiers holding long swords. Beyond the soldiers, a man sat arrogantly atop a tall horse—it was Xie Jinchi, whom she hadn’t seen for days.
He urged in a hushed voice, “Hurry up! Don’t let anyone escape!”
Four soldiers hastily splashed kerosene over the inn’s entrance corridor, the pungent smell growing stronger.
Lu Zhao narrowed her eyes: After waiting all these days, he actually caught up.
She stretched her mostly recovered limbs: Popularity Value delivered right to her doorstep—why not take advantage of it!
The previously drowsy live stream audience instantly woke up upon seeing the scene below.
[Jianmengtianxia: Holy crap, is that weakling Xie Gongzi back again?]
[Shuaidebumingxian: Are they planning to burn down the inn? Terrified face. Besides the streamer’s group, there are many other guests in this inn! Plus the staff and innkeeper—that’s at least forty to fifty people… In the middle of the night, they’re not planning to spare anyone! They really don’t value human life!]
[Zuipao Tianwang: Addicted to arson now? First burning mountains, now inns! Damn it, treating lives like weeds! That bastard deserves to die horribly!]
The audience, now understanding the situation, was outraged. Having followed the live stream daily, they had long become immersed in the world of Da Yong. The people in the stream were real living beings—just that afternoon, they had seen a couple check in with their two adorable children.
The young girl had a small dimple on her cheek and held a stick of candied hawthorn, smiling sweetly at the live stream.
How could such a vibrant life be erased by a raging fire?
[Driver No Brakes: The streamer is right. ‘If you cut weeds without removing the roots, they’ll grow again when the spring breeze blows.’ For scum like Xie Jinchi who treat human lives as worthless, they should be cut down with a single strike.]
[IQ Offline: Go for it, streamer! My earlier offer still stands—one slap for a little star; one kick for two candies; dislocating an arm for three roses; breaking both legs for a hot air balloon; crippling him for a rocket; killing him for a sports car!]
[Sucking a Pacifier to Conquer the World: My offer stands too, following the above.]
[February Red: Following +2]
[Air Conditioning Without Electricity: Following +3]
[…]
The live stream was filled with roaring support, Scrolling Subtitles flying one after another.
Lu Zhao calmly asked, [What about the soldiers beside him?]
[Weilai Shouxi Zhudao: One strike, one little star.]
[Base Upon Base: Host, hurry up! These beasts aiding a tyrant shouldn’t be spared either.]
Lu Zhao’s dark eyelashes lowered slightly as he slowly uttered, [As you wish.]
“System, exchange for the speed skill.”
The system instantly grew excited and completed the exchange immediately.
Outside the inn, the soldiers had already lit torches. In the flickering firelight, Xie Jinchi curled his lips into a cruel smile and decisively waved his hand.
As his gesture fell, the lit torches were thrown from the soldiers’ hands. Just as a torch was about to hit the ground, a pure black inkstone shot out like lightning, striking the torch with immense force. The torch was flung in the opposite direction, straight toward Xie Jinchi’s face.
Xie Jinchi’s pupils contracted sharply as he bent to dodge.
The torch was knocked far away, tumbling down the street with a series of thuds, sparks flying in all directions, starkly visible in the pitch-black night.
Horses reared up in panic, neighing loudly.
Xie Jinchi yanked hard on the reins, glaring in the direction the inkstone had come from and shouting, “Who’s there?”
Almost as he spoke, a dark shadow followed closely, a palm strike aimed straight at his chest. He had no time to defend himself and was sent flying, crashing heavily beside the nearly extinguished torch.
He spat out a mouthful of blood and jerked his head up: under the swaying lantern light, a figure in wide-sleeved cloth robes, face covered with a matching cloth, was surrounded by soldiers who had just reacted.
Almost the moment Xie Jinchi got a clear look, a flash of blade light swept through, and a large number of the encircling soldiers fell.
Was this humanly possible speed?
A sharp gaze swept over, locking with his.
This person was clearly targeting him.
Terrified, Xie Jinchi staggered to his feet and turned to flee.
Lu Zhao sneered, raising his blade and striking down, then without pause, slit the throats of everyone blocking his path. Like a sharp arrow, he broke through the encirclement in an instant, charging straight for Xie Jinchi’s back.
Xie Jinchi had only taken a few steps when he was sent flying again.
Lu Zhao gave him no chance to catch his breath, dodging a long blade attacking from behind, sliding sideways, seizing one of Xie Jinchi’s arms, and twisting it hard. A scream tore from Xie Jinchi’s throat.
Before the sound could carry, Lu Zhao clamped a hand over his mouth and nose while the other gripped his neck. With a sharp twist, he dislocated Xie Jinchi’s jaw.
Xie Jinchi writhed on the ground in agony, looking up with eyes full of terror.
Lu Zhao flexed his wrist, rolled up his sleeves, and dragged the other person by one foot into the dark alley across the street.
Xie Jinchi lay upside down on the ground, his bloodshot, terrified eyes fixed on the shadow looming over him. The shadow enveloped him like a ravenous demon. His uninjured left hand desperately clung to a corner of the alley wall as if it were his last lifeline.
He couldn’t be dragged inside—once pulled into the alley, it would all be over.
Lu Zhao, like an emotionless machine, met resistance with brute force, yanking the person deeper into the alley.
Xie Jinchi’s fingers gradually loosened their grip until, like a dead dog, he was hauled into the alley.
Thump, thump, thump… Bang, bang, clatter…
The live-stream audience watched with bated breath, hearts racing yet exhilarated.
【AirConNoPower: Damn, I thought the video on the forum was edited, but this streamer really goes all out!】
【SleeplessTonight: That was way too fast. The Kidney-Deficiency Prince probably didn’t even have time to react.】
【TrashTalkKing: I’m getting more and more curious about the streamer’s past identity. The killing technique is so clean and efficient—almost every strike is fatal, not even giving the victim a chance to speak.】
【JiJiAgainJiJi: Can someone count how many slaps the streamer landed, how many kicks were thrown, whether the arms were dislocated, if the legs were broken, and if there’s any breath left in the body?】
【Weilai Shouxi Zhudao: Holy crap, streamer, there’s someone behind you!】
Lu Zhao’s ears twitched slightly. Without a moment’s hesitation, he spun around and struck toward the figure behind him. But at the sight of the person standing at the alley’s entrance, he forcibly redirected the blade.
The knife edge grazed the night watchman’s cheek, severing a lock of hair from his forehead. The strands drifted down and landed on the lantern swaying in his trembling hand. When the watchman got a clear look at Lu Zhao, covered in blood, and the gruesome sight of Xie Jinchi behind him, his hand shook violently. The lantern and night-watch clapper crashed to the ground.
“Murder!” the watchman shrieked, turning to flee.
After a few steps, he stumbled repeatedly over the corpses of soldiers strewn across the ground, his screams cracking with terror as he ran and yelled.
Barking dogs echoed all around. Lights flickered on in nearby shops, the inn’s doors swung open, and more people erupted into panicked screams.
Qiao Chi’s clear voice and Qiao Bing’s urgent cries mingled in the howling wind.
Lu Zhao picked at his ear, frowned slightly, and glanced back at the motionless figure lying in the alley. He sneered coldly, “Lucky you!” With that, he leaped onto the rooftop, scaled the wall, and slipped back into the inn through a window on the other side.
Just as he removed his face covering, discarded his outer robe, and stepped into the inn’s first-floor lobby, Qiao Chi’s figure burst into view.
Spotting him immediately, Qiao Chi hurried over, weaving through the panicked guests to shield him. “Where did you go? Are you alright?” he asked urgently, scanning him up and down.
Lu Zhao shook his head, offering a ready excuse: “I’m fine. I had to use the bathroom. I called for you, but you didn’t wake up, so I went out on my own.”
Qiao Chi let out a long, relieved sigh. He had been genuinely terrified moments earlier.
If something had happened to Lu Zhao under his watch, he would never forgive himself.
“My apologies. Let’s go quickly—there’s trouble!” He removed his outer robe and draped it over Lu Zhao, guiding him protectively toward the back door.
Feigning alarm, Lu Zhao asked, “What kind of trouble?”
Qiao Chi hesitated, unsure how to explain. “I’m not entirely sure. Father told us to pack our things and leave as soon as we found you.”
The two pushed their way through the panicked crowd of guests, and the dagger hidden in Lu Zhao’s sleeve was knocked loose. Qiao Chi bent down to pick it up, but Lu Zhao snatched it up first and warned him, “It’s for self-defense. The blade is poisoned—one cut and the toxin seeps into the bone, bringing a fate worse than death. Don’t touch it.”
Qiao Chi was only briefly startled before grabbing her hand and continuing toward the exit.
They rushed to the back gate, where Qiao Bing and over twenty guards were already waiting.
Seeing them, Qiao Bing reached out to steady Lu Zhao and urged anxiously, “Get in the carriage, quickly.”
Lu Zhao, bewildered, pressed further, “What exactly happened?”
As he helped her into the carriage, Qiao Bing explained, “Xie Jinchi is dead, along with a large contingent of Liangzhou soldiers—at least fifty or sixty men—all slit across the throat in a single stroke!”
Qiao Chi followed up immediately, “Who did it?”
Qiao Bing shook his head. “I don’t know. They were likely pursuing us, intending to burn us alive in the inn with fire oil. Young Master Xie has been tyrannizing Liangzhou, abusing men and women, committing every evil imaginable—probably crossed the wrong enemy. But given the commotion he stirred before arriving, the Liangzhou Governor might be aware. We must leave at once.”
Once Lu Zhao was inside, Qiao Bing signaled the convoy to hurry.
Qiao Chi rode on horseback, guarding the carriage on either side.
The streets were in chaos, the air thick with the nauseating stench of blood.
Along the convoy’s path lay several corpses sprawled haphazardly. Qiao Chi glanced down and saw that each body had a fine cut across the neck, the skin around it purplish-black, dark blood still oozing out.
Such wounds could only be inflicted by a thin blade—and a poisoned one at that.
Who could possess such skill?
Suddenly, he recalled the dagger Lu Zhao had picked up earlier and her words.
Thin as a crescent moon, sharp as a cold star, and coated in lethal poison.
And the Seventh Prince hadn’t been in his room earlier either…
The more Qiao Chi thought, the more unsettled he grew. He turned to peer into the carriage.
The cold night wind lifted the curtain, revealing the frail, slender youth inside struggling to unscrew a water pouch, failing after much effort.
Qiao Chi: “…”
Had he lost his mind just now?
How could the delicate Seventh Prince possibly have such prowess!
Author’s Note:
Lu Zhao, straining with the water pouch: Don’t get the wrong idea—it’s just that my hands are sore from beating people up.