Pain, pain all over!
Su Ruolang had lived two lifetimes, yet she had never regretted anything so much.
If only she had known earlier—she should have killed the assassin first, then him, leaving no one alive…
She raised her hand in resentment, aiming the silver needle at the man's throat.
The man, wounded by an arrow and having endured the torment of the drug's effects, had fallen into a brief coma. Taking his life now would be all too easy!
Su Ruolang gripped the silver needle so tightly that her knuckles turned white, yet she couldn't bring herself to strike.
She could tell that what had just happened wasn't his choice—he had been driven out of his senses by the drug!
Having fought for justice across two lifetimes, she had killed before, but never with a guilty conscience!
Forget it, consider it a dog bite!
Su Ruolang rose angrily, staggering slightly and steadying herself against a tree.
She forced herself not to look at the man lying on the ground, trembling as she dressed piece by piece. Supporting her aching body, she walked out of the woods…
Unbeknownst to her, as she left the woods, someone lurking in the shadows saw everything clearly.
Once Su Ruolang's figure had completely disappeared, Su Yunshan emerged from behind a large tree, her face filled with astonishment.
She was the youngest daughter of the Su family, born to Chen Shi.
In recent days, she had grown suspicious of Su Ruolang's sudden transformation from foolishness to clarity. Earlier, while getting up at night, she had witnessed Su Ruolang nimbly scaling the wall and leaving the courtyard, which only deepened her suspicions. So, she quietly followed her all the way here.
The woods were too dark, and she didn't dare venture inside. After waiting outside for a while, she saw Su Ruolang emerge, her clothes in disarray.
Unable to contain her curiosity at the sight, she walked toward the direction where Su Ruolang had been.
Not far ahead, she spotted a masked man lying on the ground, covered in blood, motionless as if dead.
Summoning all her courage, Su Yunshan reached out to check his breathing.
He wasn't dead yet—there was still breath…
Carefully, she took out a fire starter and lit it. By the flickering light, she saw that the mask on the man's face seemed to be made of gold.
A long sword beside him was even adorned with gemstones, clearly of immense value!
Su Yunshan swallowed hard.
Could it be… this man was knocked out by Su Ruolang?
Even if it wasn't Su Ruolang's doing, it didn't matter… as long as she saved him, she would be his savior!
With such a distinguished person to latch onto, how could she not soar to the heights and become a phoenix?
Just the thought of it made Su Yunshan's mouth go dry with excitement.
She quickly tore some strips from her skirt and clumsily began tending to the man's wounds.
Just then, the sound of hoofbeats echoed from nearby.
The noise was chaotic—clearly, more than one person was approaching.
"There are footprints left by the assassin here… Hurry, we mustn't let the assassin harm the young master!"
"Yes!"
…
When Qin Moqing awoke, the arrow wound on his body had been bandaged, and he was surrounded by several guards.
Besides the guards, there was also a girl of sixteen or seventeen, her clothes slightly disheveled, looking at him with a timid and hesitant expression as if she had something to say.
Qin Moqing gestured for the guards to step back and asked Su Yunshan, "What is your name?"
"My name is Su… Su Yunshan," she replied, smoothing the stray hairs at her temples and trying her best to appear likable. "I came to these mountains earlier to gather herbs, but unexpectedly… I encountered you, young master…"
Her voice was soft and delicate, different from what Qin Moqing had vaguely heard in his dazed state.
At that moment, the world before his eyes was blurred and indistinct. He only felt that the woman in his embrace was clear and refreshing, like a spring… yet also like elusive wind, untouchable light and shadow, so intoxicating.
He couldn’t pinpoint what felt wrong.
But that vague figure from earlier seemed unable to overlap with the woman now before him.
Surveying the surroundings, there was no one else besides this woman…
The one who had shared that intimate moment with him could only be her.
After a moment of silence, Qin Moqing said, “My actions earlier were rash. One month later, I will surely come to your home to propose marriage.”
The reason he said one month later was because his marriage with Su Ruolang had not yet been settled.
With that marriage contract, Su Ruolang was his rightful wife.
Although as a prince of Li Kingdom, he could easily have multiple wives and concubines, he had always disliked such arrangements and absolutely could not betray this woman who had saved his life and whose purity he had taken.
Su Yunshan was stunned.
One month later, coming to propose marriage?
What was going on here!
Before she could react, Qin Moqing had already taken off the jade pendant from his body: “If you encounter difficulties during this period, you can take this to Deshan Tang on Yongan Street. Someone will lead you to me.”
The jade was emerald green, carved with mandarin ducks. Even under the dim night sky, its quality shone brilliantly—definitely not ordinary.
Someone who could casually produce such an item must be either wealthy or noble!
Su Yunshan’s heart thumped like a drum. Thinking of Su Ruolang’s disheveled appearance when she left the woods, she began to form some suspicions and couldn’t help tentatively asking, “Sir, earlier… earlier you and I…”
Her delicate, coquettish voice made Qin Moqing’s brows unconsciously furrow slightly.
That subtle sense of dissonance surged again. He wanted to trace its source but found no clues.
“What happened earlier need not be mentioned again. I will take responsibility for you.” His expression returned to its usual coldness, unwilling to speak further with this woman. He instructed his subordinate, “Jing An, escort her back.”
The attendant Jing An immediately stepped forward upon hearing this.
Though Su Yunshan wanted to ask more, seeing this, she could only stop her words, coyly bidding farewell and leaving.
After turning away, she suppressed her wild joy and carefully tucked the jade pendant into her sleeve.
As if hiding a secret that could not be spoken…
On the other side.
By now, Su Ruolang had stumbled step by step down to the mountain’s base and was washing herself in the stream.
Her dress was already torn beyond recognition, and the small hoe she had brought for gathering herbs was also lost somewhere…
In her heart, she cursed that scoundrel a hundred times, growing angrier the more she thought about it, wishing she could kill him.
But now, killing was not her priority.
She had originally come to these woods to gather herbs. If she didn’t brew and take the medicine soon, the poison might flare up again.
After washing away her disheveled state, Su Ruolang hurried to the dilapidated temple at the foot of the mountain, retrieved the herbs she had stored there, lit a fire, and skillfully brewed and drank the medicine.
Detoxification was crucial—she didn’t want to inexplicably die again!
The herbs were all gathered over the past two days. Though they couldn’t completely cure the strange poison in her body, they could at least suppress its toxicity.
Besides these, there were also several large wild ginseng roots.
Wild ginseng had a mild nature and wasn’t suitable for her to consume. It would be better to take them to a pharmacy and exchange them for some silver.
And none of this should be known by the Su family.
Here, the sky was already faintly bright. Su Ruolang wrapped her dress tightly, took the herbs, and returned to the Su residence.
Just as she entered the courtyard, she heard deliberately hushed voices coming from Su Yunshan’s room.
“Mother, look at this jade pendant, so translucent…”
A jade pendant?
Su Ruolang paused her steps slightly.
The original owner did have a piece of jade, lustrous and smooth, carved with a pair of mandarin ducks, which she had worn since she could remember.
Because it was kept close to her body, even Chen Shi, her stepmother who would pluck feathers from a passing goose, had never seen it.
Thinking of this, Su Ruolang reached into her bosom.
The jade was still there, so it seemed what Chen Shi and her daughter mentioned wasn’t this piece…
Could it be from the betrothal gifts?
That was possible. Qin Moqing was generous, and the things he sent must be of great value.
Now, Chen Shi had locked away all the betrothal gifts Qin Moqing sent in her room, clearly intending to claim them for herself.
Su Ruolang scoffed lightly.
She had been a stainless steel rooster, unwilling to part with even a single feather, since her previous life. Dream on if you think you can take her betrothal gifts!
After returning to her room, she changed into clean clothes, wrapped the wild ginseng in a piece of tattered cloth, and headed to Yong’an Street in town.