Brother Hu was brimming with confidence, laying out his plan like a master strategist.
“Brother Qian, don’t worry. Once you’re out there, no one will know it was me who attacked you,” he said, pulling a small packet of powder from his sleeve and shaking it in front of Brother Qian.
“Once I sprinkle this beast-summoning powder on you, you’ll soon feel what it’s like to be torn apart by wild animals!” Brother Hu growled through clenched teeth. “This is what happens when you offend me!”
Brother Qian regretted not heeding Tang Qingluo’s warning. His life was about to end, and all he could think about was his wife and young child—the happiness of his family flashing through his mind.
He thought, If there’s a next life…
Crash!
The boastful Brother Hu suddenly collapsed.
Brother Qian’s eyes widened in disbelief.
What just happened?
Hidden behind a large tree, Tang Qingluo let out a small triumphant laugh, putting away her silenced firearm.
The villains always die because of their own chatter—why can’t they ever learn?
【Congratulations! Host actively participated in combat for the first time. Reward: Advanced Hidden Weapon “Rain of Pear Blossoms Needles.” Reward has been automatically added to inventory. Please continue your efforts.】
Not bad—an unexpected bonus! Tang Qingluo smiled before quickly turning serious and rushing over to Brother Qian.
She wasn’t the type to help and then hide her role. If she saved Brother Qian’s life, she wanted something in return.
“Brother Qian! Are you alright?” she asked.
“You… you’re here? Did you… kill Brother Hu?” Brother Qian stammered, unsure if Tang Qingluo was responsible.
“I saw Brother Hu skulking behind you and didn’t trust him, so I followed. Sure enough, he meant you harm. I was about to intervene when a master suddenly appeared—whooshing right over my head—and Brother Hu collapsed. I was terrified, thinking the master would target me, but they just looked at me and left.”
Tang Qingluo’s performance was flawless—she spoke as if she had witnessed it firsthand.
Brother Qian didn’t believe Tang Qingluo had killed Brother Hu; her story sounded convincing.
Though he had no idea who the mysterious master was—someone capable of killing silently and instantly—he was grateful for their intervention.
Ugh…
He forgot that Brother Hu had also poisoned him.
When Brother Qian coughed up black blood, Tang Qingluo panicked. “Brother Qian! You’ve been poisoned! Don’t worry, my family prepared a powerful antidote. Let me try it on you.”
She retrieved the antidote perfume from her sleeve and sprayed it over Brother Qian.
“Brother Qian, how do you feel?”
“I… I think… I’m fine now,” he said, bouncing slightly, feeling no pain.
Having narrowly escaped death, he grinned. “Thanks, little sister. You saved my life. If you ever need anything, just say the word.”
“You’re welcome. But, Brother Qian, the blood you just coughed up will attract wild animals. We should leave immediately,” Tang Qingluo warned.
This time, Brother Qian didn’t argue. “Right! Let’s go, quickly!”
After a few steps, he went back to Brother Hu’s body, retrieved the packet of beast-summoning powder, and sprinkled it over the corpse. Then he and Tang Qingluo ran off.
No sooner had they returned to their resting spot than a wolf howled from behind.
Howl!
The sound sent shivers down their spines.
“Wolves! This place isn’t safe! Everyone, get up! Let’s move!” Brother Qian urged his men forward.
Another group of escort officers hesitated. “Brother Qian, Brother Hu isn’t back yet. Shouldn’t we wait for him?”
“Then wait here for Brother Hu. We’ll take the prisoners first, and you can catch up later,” Brother Qian said, ignoring them. He even personally removed Xie Bozhi’s shackles.
“The road ahead has wild animals and bandits. With so few of us, we can’t guarantee everyone’s safety. So, Duke Xie, if danger strikes again, I hope the Xie family can lend a hand.”
“You needn’t ask. If there’s trouble, our family will act,” Xie Bozhi replied, not questioning why this officer named Qian suddenly seemed so cooperative.
“Why are you all standing around? Hurry up and remove the shackles for the Xie elders and young masters,” Brother Qian ordered.
The subordinates obeyed without question. A few officers were puzzled, but Brother Qian’s word was law—they followed instructions.
All the shackles for the Xie family’s main, third, and fourth branches were removed, including those of the seventh branch, Xie Weizhi. Only the shackles on Xie Bo and Xie Yao remained. Xie Bo protested, “Mine hasn’t been removed yet!”
Brother Qian ignored him and pressed on. The other officers, seeing him indifferent, did not act.
Xie Bo was furious and wanted to confront Xie Bozhi, but Brother Qian cracked his whip, sending him sprawling. “One more word and I’ll whip you! Behave!”
Finally, the officers understood that Brother Qian’s attitude was normal and just followed his orders.
“Qingluo, does this have anything to do with you?” Xie Lanyi asked, walking beside Tang Qingluo.
“What?” Tang Qingluo replied.
“Brother Hu is gone. And Brother Qian… what exactly happened?” he asked, fingers fiddling with his sleeve.
“Who knows? Good riddance—Brother Hu’s dead, that’s all that matters. As for Brother Qian, he’s always righteous and kind; otherwise, he wouldn’t have opposed that scumbag before. And besides, we already paid for the shackles to be removed. If Brother Hu hadn’t interfered, they would have been gone already,” Tang Qingluo lied effortlessly.
Ah, that explains why Brother Qian’s attitude changed—he’d received the silver.
One of the officers overheard Tang Qingluo’s explanation and quietly spread the word.
Instantly, all of Brother Qian’s subordinates stopped questioning him.
Xie Lanyi still didn’t fully trust the story but had no evidence to doubt it, so he remained silent.