She casually swapped her silver hairpin for a wooden one, then used pre-prepared plant ash to dirty her face and neck.
After that, she leaned back, appearing to rest with closed eyes while actually remaining alert to her surroundings.
Having passed through the village, they traveled for about another quarter hour when suddenly the sound of hoofbeats erupted. The carriage jolted several times before coming to a complete stop.
They’re here!
Li Jinu slowly pulled aside a corner of the carriage curtain. Grasping an iron needle, she secretly channeled her Inner Force and shot it into the back of the coachman’s neck.
The coachman, completely unprepared and facing someone as ruthless as Li Jinu, slumped against the carriage after the needle penetrated, losing all signs of life.
This coachman was the same person who had secretly met with Cuiliu yesterday. Having seen the bandits, he absolutely couldn’t be left alive.
Li Jinu felt that compared to her previous life, she had become too gentle, allowing these people to think they could easily manipulate her.
Too slow.
Her killing speed was still too slow.
Peering through the carriage curtain at Cuiliu who had already disembarked in the distance, she curled her lips in a cold smile, her eyes filled with murderous intent.
Today, she wouldn’t just kill Cuiliu—she would make sure the incident caused a major stir.
She planned to report to the authorities and also replace Ye Jintang’s Death Note.
Lifting the carriage curtain, she leaped down in one swift motion. Seeing the appearances of the eight sword-wielding men, she couldn’t help but narrow her eyes.
She recognized the leader—Li Wangyun.
In her previous life, she had been ordered to eliminate this man. By that time, he had already become a core member of the White Lotus Sect.
Li Wangyun possessed considerable martial skills and employed ruthless methods. After gaining power, he somehow found a method to perform the Life-Extending Evil Art using live human sacrifices for some important figure.
After his death, Li Jinu discovered piles of white bones in his secret chamber.
Even someone like her, who had killed countless people, couldn’t help feeling horrified at the sight.
What met her eyes were skulls no larger than rice bowls, and leg bones as thin as arms— all from children.
Finally, in one corner, she rescued nine emaciated young boys.
These children were naked, with ancient and complex patterns carved into their chests. Beneath the patterns were awkwardly written characters:
“The end of their lives, the return of mine; Using your bodies to mold his living soul; …”
That long string of characters resembled demonic whispers. Even Li Jinu, usually steady and composed, felt her scalp crawl.
What crime had these innocent children committed? The White Lotus Sect deserved annihilation!
Unfortunately, until her death in her previous life, she never discovered who exactly the White Lotus Sect served. Otherwise, she would have eliminated that person first.
No matter. She would use these people as her first sacrifices.
Li Wangyun must die!
She lowered her gaze, contemplating.
Originally, she only intended to use the bandits to kill Cuiliu without revealing her hidden capabilities.
But if she wanted to kill Li Wangyun, she would have to devise a proper plan.
Just as she formed this thought, she saw Li Wangyun throw his broadsword outward. With a crisp sound, Cuiliu’s horse collapsed without uttering a single cry.
The twitching horse’s body separated from its head, spraying hot blood everywhere.
The broadsword spun through the air and returned to land at Li Wangyun’s feet.
Such skill drew loud laughter and continuous praise from the bandits.
Not to mention Cuiliu, even the shrewd old Liu Momo had to grip the carriage tightly to barely remain standing.
It would be false to say Li Jinu wasn’t shocked.
Killing a person is easy; killing a horse is difficult. That’s why soldiers on battlefields primarily target horses’ legs when dealing with cavalry.
But throwing a blade through the air to completely sever a horse’s head was no simple feat.
Either this person possessed formidable Inner Force, or his weapon was extraordinary.
She knew Li Wangyun’s capabilities. Although his martial skills weren’t weak, he definitely shouldn’t possess such power at this point in time.
Looking at that treasured blade, she began to form an idea—
If she could gift this weapon to her benefactor from her previous life, it would be a perfect match.
Another bandit drew his bow and shot an arrow, the shaft whistling through the air as it pierced the carriage. After several such shots, he called out clearly:
“Big brother, there’s no one left in the carriage.”
Cuiliu’s face had turned deathly pale by now. She had no idea where the servant boy had found such terrifying figures.
But she had no time to dwell on that now. She quickly turned and said to Li Jinu:
“Miss, run! Even if I die, I won’t let them harm you!”
This was the signal. As soon as she spoke these words, the bandits were supposed to take Li Jinu away according to their arrangement.
Yet an eerie silence enveloped them. She turned her head, frantically signaling Li Wangyun with her eyes.
Li Wangyun laughed even louder, his words leaving Cuiliu bewildered:
“The daughter of the Marquis’ household is indeed extraordinary.”
Too caught up in her earlier confidence, Cuiliu only now noticed something was wrong. She slowly turned again and finally noticed Li Jinu’s attire.
What was she wearing! And what was on her face? Mud?
The situation had escalated beyond expectations, making her heart skip a beat. Without further thought, she snapped at the servant boy:
“Say something! Stop playing dead!”
As if responding to Cuiliu’s words, the servant boy’s body tilted and he fell heavily from the carriage, motionless.
Li Jinu appeared frightened, quickly stepping forward to grab Cuiliu’s soft waist and pinching her hard.
Stung by the pain, Cuiliu instinctively pushed her away. Li Jinu took the opportunity to fall to the ground and remained silent.
Li Wangyun now watched Cuiliu with amusement:
“Young lady, it seems you’re not cut out for acting. You’d make a better wife of the chieftain for me.”
“Hahahaha!”
The bandits roared with laughter. The second-in-command looked at Li Jinu with a lecherous grin:
“This maid has nice features. She’d be usable after a cleaning. Big brother, why not take her along too?”
These men weren’t actually bandits – they had originally been planning something significant in this area.
But yesterday, a servant boy had inexplicably found them, claiming to be a noble from the capital and arrogantly demanding their assistance.
He had initially considered killing the boy, but then learned their target was the daughter of a Marquis’ household.
Thinking of those haughty noblewomen from the imperial city made him itch to taste one, to see if they were all the same in bed.
That’s why he had gone along with this act.
Since they needed to operate covertly, he hadn’t planned to leave any survivors from the start.
Hearing his second-in-command’s suggestion, he simply nodded.
Seeing the plan had gone awry, Li Jinu hesitated no longer. Taking advantage of the chaos, she pressed a steel needle into Cuiliu’s Dumb Gate Point.
Ignoring Cuiliu as she collapsed softly to the ground, Li Jinu appeared panicked but had been closely watching the men closing in around them.
She had no proper weapon, and with her strength not fully recovered, she couldn’t be sure of winning in direct confrontation.
So she had to rely on wits.
What she needed now was to seize a blade.
Her eyes darting around, she spoke up:
“This is the family of Zhennan Hou! Aren’t you afraid of being hunted down by the Garrison Troops?”
“This girl has guts! I like her! Catch her for me – there’s a reward!”
Li Jinu’s mood grew heavy. In this tense atmosphere, she remembered the arrogant Li Wangyun from her previous life – the man who had dared to assassinate even the Emperor’s grandson. How could such a man fear a mere Zhennan Hou?
But she hadn’t expected to intimidate them anyway. What she needed now was a weapon.
Watching the leering second-in-command approaching her, she gathered her strength. As the bandits’ arrogant laughter echoed around them, she stopped holding back and threw a handful of sand directly at the second-in-command’s face.
The second-in-command was no pushover either. He agilely dodged to the side, his mocking grin widening.
“This girl’s got spirit! Your master I…”
But before he could finish speaking, a silver hairpin pierced his throat.
Ignoring the shocked or enraged reactions of the others, Li Jinu quickly picked up a cleaver and charged toward the remaining men.
Li Wangyun’s face twitched, his teeth gritted in fury: “Kill this bitch!”
Accompanying his roar was the sudden whistle of an arrow cutting through the air.
Then, the previously furious Li Wangyun slumped to the ground, an arrow embedded in the back of his skull, his eyes wide with death not closing.
Next came the second, then the third.
The sole survivor, heart pounding with terror, abandoned all thoughts of pleasure and his fallen comrades. He nimbly dodged several arrows, leaped onto his horse, and whipped it into a frantic gallop.
Li Jinu refused to let him escape. Snatching up a steel blade, she hurled it with all her might.
Though she possessed the skills of her past life, her current physical strength fell short. The blade struck the horse’s hindquarters, spurring it to even greater speed.
Knowing pursuit was futile, she fixed her gaze on the direction from which the arrows had come.
A young man in a black python robe stood tall, his gaze assessing as he watched Li Jinu.
He wasn’t exceptionally handsome, his features rather ordinary, but his aura was transcendent, carrying a hint of disdain for the common masses.
The shock in Li Jinu’s eyes was genuine, for this was her benefactor from her past life, the Grand Imperial Grandson, Ye Langting.
Several of his men had already been dispatched to hunt down the fleeing remnant. Ye Langting, accompanied by only one guard, slowly approached Li Jinu.
By all reasoning, the present Li Jinu should not recognize the Grand Imperial Grandson.
As she pondered how to face His Highness, she suddenly noticed Liu Momo under the carriage, her head buried tightly in her knees.
Reaching out to pat her, Li Jinu startled Liu Momo into terrified pleas: “Don’t kill me! I saw nothing!”
Li Jinu: …
“Momo, it’s alright. This young master saved us.”
She recalled that Ye Langting had visited the Marquis residence before. As the head housekeeper, Liu Momo should recognize him.
Sure enough, Liu Momo slowly crawled out. Upon seeing their savior, she knelt again.
“This old servant kowtows to Your Highness. Thank you for saving our lives.Li Jinu breathed a sigh of relief, knelt down accordingly, and performed a formal, standard obeisance.
Ye Langting, recalling the scene he had just witnessed, looked at Li Jinu with a hint of amusement.
“Rise.”
Liu Momo, trembling, tried to help Li Jinu up, but saw that she remained kneeling, instead pressing her forehead deeply to the ground in another kowtow.
What Li Jinu said next caused Liu Momo to slowly turn her head, her eyes seemingly frozen, staring fixedly at Li Jinu.