Chapter 120: The Traitor

She struggled to lift her head, and what came into view was a tall figure, standing well over one meter eighty.  

Dressed in a thick black uniform that wrapped around a powerful body, the standard attire of Ye Lan Manor’s Guards, complete with a knife, baton, and gun holstered at the waist.  

“Yo, little beauty, found you.” The woman’s lips curled into a teasing smile, her voice casual yet laced with undeniable authority.

“Lin Jun Squad, Jing Ji.”  

Mu Xi burned with fury.

She grabbed a sharp stone and, summoning all her strength, hurled it straight at her opponent’s face.  

The stone sliced through the air but Jing Ji deftly sidestepped without even losing her smile.  

“Quite the temper.” Jing Ji looked Mu Xi over with interest, bending down to roughly grab her collar and hoist her up like a kitten.

“But I do like little things like you.”  

Before Mu Xi could react, Jing Ji suddenly leaned in and planted a fierce kiss on her cheek, the sharp “pop” echoing in the quiet.  

Mu Xi’s mind went blank.

An indescribable humiliation washed over her.

She widened her eyes in disbelief, staring at the woman before her as if she had been deeply insulted.  

But Jing Ji paid no mind to Mu Xi’s reaction.

Instead, she burst out laughing, loud and uninhibited.

“Sure enough, a beauty in the making—Ye Lan’s little pet. I’d heard about you for a while, but I’ve been out on missions. Finally seeing you in person, you’re even prettier than the rumors say.”  

Mu Xi ground her teeth, glaring at Jing Ji with silver-white teeth clenched so hard they threatened to shatter.

“You… you won’t die a good death!”  

“Cursing me?”  Jing Ji raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in her eyes as her fingers casually traced Mu Xi’s cheek.  

“Little beauty, don’t be so fierce. Consider yourself lucky I caught you. You know, Ye Lan didn’t just send the Lin Jun Squad to find you—there’s also her Escort Team. Those guys are the real rough ones. If they catch you, do you think you’d still be in one piece like this?”  

She paused, voice dripping with meaning, “And if they take you back… tsk, tsk…”  

Mu Xi panted heavily, her throat burning like fire.  

She fixed Jing Ji with a wary gaze, “What do you mean?”  

Jing Ji was from Ye Lan, a member of Lin Jun Squad.

Shouldn’t she have just immediately taken Mu Xi back to the Manor?  

Was there another possibility?  

Jing Ji smiled, a malicious gleam in her eyes.

“Little beauty, you’re very valuable.”  

She circled Mu Xi like appraising a piece of merchandise.

“If I take you back, Ye Lan will kill you—along with that traitor, Li Xin. How about I take you away from here instead?”  

Mu Xi’s heart sank.

Of course.  

No pie falls from the sky, only traps.  

Jing Ji never intended to help her; she had ulterior motives.  

Selling her off like a trafficker, sending her to some even dirtier place.  

A wave of disgust surged through her.  

Jing Ji mocked Li Xin as a traitor, but what was she herself?  

Nothing more than a greedy, unprincipled maggot.  

Mu Xi sneered coldly, eyes icy.

“You want to sell me?”  

Jing Ji shrugged, unfazed by the accusation.

“Don’t put it so harshly. It’s cooperation, a win-win situation. The world outside the Manor is vast. With your looks, you could live comfortably anywhere. What’s the point of sticking with Ye Lan? Being a pet, summoned and discarded at will—where’s the dignity in that?”  

She paused, then leaned close, lowering her voice in a tempting tone.

“Besides, Ye Lan’s a temperamental woman. She might like you today and grow tired of you tomorrow. Then your fate would be even worse than now. Stick with me, at least you keep your life and enjoy wealth and luxury. Doesn’t that sound better?”  

Mu Xi stared into Jing Ji’s eyes, searching for any sign of weakness.  

Wealth and luxury?  

More like a fate worse than death.  

This woman was full of lies; her true goal was selling Mu Xi off.  

“Do you think I’d believe you?”  

Mu Xi’s voice carried a sharp warning, “Ye Lan is terrifying. You’d dare betray her? If you get caught, you’ll die even worse.”  

Jing Ji laughed heartily, as if she’d just heard the funniest joke in the world.

“Ye Lan? No matter how powerful she is, her reach doesn’t extend beyond the Manor. The outside world operates by a different set of rules. If I take you away quietly, what can she do to me?”  

She proudly lifted her chin and said, “As for me dying worse—little beauty, you seriously underestimate Jing Ji. I didn’t climb to my rank in Lin Jun Squad by luck. Those useless fools under Ye Lan? I don’t even bother with them.”  

“How’s Li Xin?” Mu Xi’s voice tightened.  

Jing Ji shrugged indifferently, “No idea. Probably ran into the others in Lin Jun Squad.”  

Her tone was light, like discussing the weather, but to Mu Xi, it was like an ice pick to the chest.  

Lin Jun Squad—the sharp blade of Ye Lan.  

Li Xin was utterly defenseless against them, her fate grim.  

Mu Xi’s heart sank, fingertips growing cold.

She forced herself to remain calm and not lose composure.  

Jing Ji studied Mu Xi’s changing expression with interest, a satisfied smile playing on her lips.

Her tone took on a teasing cat-and-mouse quality.

“Little beauty, stop dreaming. Face reality and obediently come with me.”  

Mu Xi took a deep breath.

Her eyes dimmed as if all hope had been drained away.  

Lowering her lashes to hide the fleeting flash of sharp resolve, her voice held a trace of despairing acceptance.

“Go with you… you’ll take care of me until you sell me, right? At least… I won’t starve or get hurt?”  

Jing Ji laughed as if hearing the funniest joke ever, her chest shaking with the sound.

“Of course! You’re my cash cow. Every inch of you is worth a fortune. Your losses are my losses—I’m not about to let you starve or get injured.”  

She stepped closer, her fingers cheekily lifting Mu Xi’s chin, her tone flirtatious.

“Don’t worry, I’ll fatten you up, make you pretty and plump, and sell you for a good price.”  

Mu Xi bowed her head submissively, resigned, and nodded softly, “Fine. I’ll go with you.”  

Jing Ji patted her shoulder, the force so strong it felt like it might crush bones.

“That’s the spirit. Wise people know the times. Let’s go.”  

She turned toward the Brook, pointing at the water.

“We cross here first.”  

At the very moment Jing Ji turned, the desperate look in Mu Xi’s eyes vanished abruptly, replaced by a cold, murderous glare.  

She suddenly sprang to life, as swift as lightning, drawing a kitchen knife from her sleeve.  

The blade gleamed coldly in the sunlight, aimed straight at Jing Ji’s lower back with a fierce stab!  

But ideals are full; reality is cruel.  

The knife struck Jing Ji’s back with a dull thud, as if hitting thick leather, showing no sign of penetration.  

Jing Ji didn’t even pause her steps.

She glanced back at Mu Xi with a confused look, as if asking: What are you doing?  

Mu Xi froze, still gripping the knife, stuck mid-attack.  

The atmosphere instantly stiffened, awkwardness flooding in like a rising tide, almost drowning her.