Li Jinu found it amusing that even at this critical moment, the old hag still wanted to kill her.
Truly Mother Rong was Ye Jintang’s most loyal underling—even in dire circumstances, she never forgot to serve her master.
But today, she would miscalculate. Li Jinu was determined to pluck out every last one of Ye Jintang’s claws, one by one!
Nian Cuilan was the first, and this was the second.
With a light lift of her leg, she dodged the attack and kicked the wooden hairpin away. The hairpin flew from Mother Rong’s hand, carrying her hopes with it as it sank deep into the lake.
Having failed in her counterattack, Mother Rong choked on water in her shock. She was never a good swimmer, and now she was in extreme distress. After flailing and struggling for a while, she grew still.
Li Jinu, ever cautious, checked her pulse after catching her breath and confirmed that the woman was undeniably dead. Then, she grabbed Mother Rong’s hands and pressed them against her own neck.
Just as she was about to exert force, a sudden sharp pain shot through her foot.
An ambush!
Steadying herself, she quickly released the hands and dodged aside. When she got a clear look at the attacker, she couldn’t help but laugh.
It was a palm-sized, bluish-gray crab.
Strangely, it had three pincers and six eyes.
With such a bizarre appearance, it might be poisonous— but it would surely be delicious!
Li Jinu shook her head. The delay meant she had to take another breath before continuing.
Holding Mother Rong’s hands against her own neck underwater, she channeled her Inner Force, imagining how much strength it would take to strangle someone to death.
As she began to feel discomfort, she vaguely glimpsed a somewhat familiar black figure in the water.
Amid the intense discomfort, she suddenly remembered something Nian Cuilan had once hidden away…
At that moment, she knew she was hallucinating—she was nearly at her limit.
When she released the hands, a clear ring of blue and purple bruises was visible around her neck. Anyone unaware of the truth would surely believe someone had tried to strangle her.
Her past life had been fraught with hardships, and after becoming a Shadow Guard, she had endured every kind of suffering. A minor injury like this meant nothing to her. To achieve her goals, she could be even more ruthless.
Ruthless to herself, and even more so to her enemies!
The lake water was clear, allowing her to see the shore distinctly.
Just then, she spotted the flamboyantly dressed maid, Cuiliu, running toward the lake.
Li Jinu curled her lips slightly, thrashed to keep her head above water, and feigned panic:
“H—Help!”
From a distance, Cuiliu spotted a head and hurriedly focused her gaze. Seeing the face bobbing up and down on the surface—confirmed to be Li Jinu—she grew somewhat anxious.
Had Mother Rong gone to buy needles?
Not seeing Mother Rong, Cuiliu forced herself to calm down, her eyes turning colder as she quickly called out:
“Someone, help! Save the young lady!”
Before her voice faded, Li Jinu saw a servant with triangular eyes and a mustache leap into the water and swim toward her.
She couldn’t help but sneer. How could a high-ranking young lady’s personal maid not know how to swim?
Cuiliu was Ye Jintang’s chief maid—how could she be useless?
Yet they sent a male servant into the water. Their intentions were as plain as day.
As the servant’s face drew nearer, his lecherous expression became increasingly clear.
Li Jinu recognized him—he was Mother Rong’s son.
Before she was sold into the brothel in her past life, this beast had harassed her— more than once.
Over the past two days, she had thought that killing a few enemies had numbed her.
Yet, when the humiliating memories resurfaced, her heart still ached as if pierced by needles.
Glancing down at Mother Rong’s deathly pale face, she conceived a better plan.
Since they were coming to die one after another, she would kill them and crush their spirits!
She had grown up in the village since childhood. During the slack summer farming season, aside from household chores, she would spend her free time catching fish and shrimp in the lake to sell, supplementing the family income.
It could be said she was raised in these waters. Her swimming skills were second to none.
Having made up her mind, she stopped moving and slowly descended toward where Mother Rong was.
The fish was about to take the bait.
The young servant swam toward Li Jinu with a lecherous grin.
From the moment he first laid eyes on Li Jinu early that morning, lust had taken hold of him.
She was just a country girl—what trouble could she possibly stir up? If heaven fell, the Second Young Miss would bear the weight anyway.
Seeing the girl’s panicked expression only confirmed his belief that Cuiliu had been exaggerating the danger.
Lust clouded his mind, and wickedness surged in his heart—all he wanted was to taste her charms.
But just as he was about to touch the hem of her clothes, he suddenly noticed another person at the bottom of the lake nearby.
Why did that person’s clothing look so familiar, as if he’d seen it somewhere before?
Curiosity piqued, he swam sideways a few strokes to get a clearer view of the person’s face. His jaw dropped in shock.
It was his mother!
The servant’s heart skipped a beat. Forgetting all about the beauty, he grabbed Mother Rong and struggled toward the shore.
Li Jinu watched from nearby, thoughts churning in her mind.
Let him go…
How could that be possible? If this dog-like creature returned, who knew what calamities he might bring? It would be better for him to die here.
Mimicking every drowning person’s instinct, she tightly grabbed the servant’s ankle, forcing him to swallow several mouthfuls of water as he struggled up and down before she sealed his pressure points.
Then the servant could only watch helplessly as he and his mother sank into the water, while the beautiful girl continued thrashing on the surface.
He finally understood. He wanted to reach shore and tell Cuiliu that this Eldest Young Miss was nothing like the useless country bumpkin everyone thought she was.
She could swim, and she knew martial arts.
But these truths, like the lives of this mother and son, were destined to be forever buried in this stagnant pond.
Li Jinu continued thrashing in the water while Cuiliu was nearly going mad with anxiety.
The servant was Mother Rong’s only son. His previous wife had died, and he was about to enter another marriage arrangement.
The old nurse protected him like her lifeline, hoping to hold a grandchild soon.
If anything happened to her precious son, the old nurse would surely skin her alive!
Just as Cuiliu was debating whether to enter the water, the village chief’s wife arrived with Liu Momo and others.
Seeing the figure thrashing in the water, Liu Momo’s face paled in alarm. Without a second thought, she jumped into the lake.
Seeing Liu Momo, Li Jinu felt somewhat reassured. She deliberately swallowed some water, allowing the woman to rescue her.
Once they reached shore, she spat out several mouthfuls of water, gasping for air.
Liu Momo gently patted her back, though her voice carried urgency, “Young Miss, are you alright?”
As soon as Li Jinu caught her breath, she shook her head, her tone becoming urgent:
“Hurry, Mother Rong and that servant are still in the lake.”
When suspicion turned to reality, Cuiliu reacted like a cat with its tail stepped on, her voice sharp:
“Mother Rong was in the lake? Why didn’t you say so earlier!”
Li Jinu gave Cuiliu a deep look, killing intent rising in her heart.
This servant could not be allowed to remain.
Cuiliu shivered under the emotionless gaze, masking her guilt as she turned to look at the lake surface.
When the drowned bodies of the nurse and her son were finally pulled ashore, Cuiliu’s face turned paler than someone who had been dead for three days.
Her hands trembling, she checked their breathing, then slowly turned her head.
Though her words were phrased as a question, they carried certainty:
“How dare you kill them?”
Hearing this, Li Jinu slowly raised her head, revealing the blue-purple strangulation marks on her neck, startling everyone once more.
The village chief’s wife hurried over, her fingers gently brushing over the rope marks as tears unconsciously fell.
“Heaven strike the culprit! Who could be so cruel? This was meant to take your life!”
Cuiliu shuddered violently. She couldn’t understand why Mother Rong would go to such extremes. If the marquis’ household discovered they had intentionally caused the young lady’s death, she dreaded to imagine the punishment.
No matter how much resentment she harbored toward Li Jinu, blood ties remained undeniable, forcing her to tread carefully.
Yet consumed by anxiety, she couldn’t help but speak out:
“Regardless of the circumstances, you must not commit murder.”
Tears streamed down Li Jinu’s face like a frightened kitten, her voice trembling slightly:
“Auntie, Mother Rong… let’s report this to the authorities.”