Chapter 135: Just Waiting for the East Wind

Li Xin fell silent.

She fully understood Mu Xi’s plan.

Miss Ye Lan’s obsession with Mu Xi was almost pathological.

For Mu Xi’s sake, she would very likely come in person.

And the depths of the forest made for the perfect hunting ground.

“I’ll shoot.”

Li Xin finally made her decision, her voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor—an excitement for the impending killing, mixed with the fear of possibly losing Mu Xi.

“As soon as Ye Lan appears, I won’t hesitate.”

Mu Xi looked at Li Xin.

In those calm eyes, a blazing madness now burned.

It was clear that Li Xin was willing to do anything for her.

Including, killing her Master.

“Be careful.” Mu Xi whispered, her fingertips gently brushing Li Xin’s cold cheek, carrying a subtle tenderness hard to detect.

Li Xin clasped Mu Xi’s hand in return, the warmth in her palm conveying a resolute courage.

“I will.”

The engine started again.

The pickup truck drove toward the forest under the morning light.

Inside the truck bed, silence hung heavy, mingled with the growing murderous intent deep in both their hearts.

A thin mist drifted through the forest, like a veil shrouding this mysterious world.

Mu Xi and Li Xin found a secluded small clearing deep within the dense woods, surrounded by tall pine trees.

The ground was thickly carpeted with pine needles, making footsteps nearly soundless.

The area offered a wide view yet remained well hidden from outsiders—an ideal ambush spot.

Li Xin crouched down, her fingers lightly touching the pine needles on the ground, feeling their moisture.

“This place is perfect. From this angle, we can see all the paths leading to the clearing.” She looked up at Mu Xi, her sharp eyes shining with calm clarity.

“But we need better concealment.” Li Xin stood and walked toward the pickup truck.

She opened the trunk and pulled out an axe, a Foldable Military Shovel, and several small tools.

Mu Xi stood nearby, watching as Li Xin selected surrounding trees, finally stopping in front of a thick pine.

“This tree is big enough to hide me completely.” Li Xin knocked on the trunk, testing its sturdiness.

She began her work.

The axe in her hand seemed alive, each strike precise.

Pine bark peeled away under the blade, revealing pale yellow inner layers.

Li Xin’s movements were skillful and efficient; sweat soon soaked the back of her deep green uniform, but she did not stop.

Mu Xi sat on a nearby stone.

Her purple Escort Team uniform stood out vividly in the morning light.

She quietly observed every move Li Xin made, her lively eyes reflecting a complex array of emotions.

“Are you sure Ye Lan will come right to me?” Mu Xi asked softly, her voice gentle but tinged with barely concealed tension.

Li Xin paused her work and turned to Mu Xi.

“She will. Her obsession with you has robbed her of reason. She won’t miss the chance to capture you herself.”

Several hours later, Li Xin finished her masterpiece.

The pine tree was hollowed out skillfully, with an interior just large enough to fit a person.

She carved a precise shooting hole in the trunk, angled to cover the area where Mu Xi would sit.

“Now, we need to set the scene.”

Li Xin took a small bottle of dark red liquid from her pocket—it was blood she had prepared in advance.

She dripped the blood onto Mu Xi’s purple uniform, especially the leg area, then left some dragging marks on the ground.

“You’ll sit on that exposed tree root in the center of the clearing, pretending your leg is injured.” Li Xin pointed to a spot.

“When Ye Lan arrives, she’ll come close to you. Then, I shoot immediately.”

Mu Xi nodded.

Her silver-white hair shimmered faintly in the sunlight.

She moved to the designated spot and sat down, adjusting her posture to look incapacitated by pain.

Li Xin stood before the tree hollow, giving the pistol one last check.

“Remember, no matter what happens, don’t look in my direction.” Her voice was low.

Mu Xi looked up, their eyes locking.

In that moment, countless unspoken words passed silently between them.

“Be careful.” Mu Xi whispered.

Li Xin nodded and slipped inside the tree hollow.

The bark was cleverly fitted with a mechanism to close from the inside.

Once she was fully concealed within the tree, the forest returned to silence, as if nothing had happened.

The space inside the hollow was tight and stifling.

Li Xin curled up inside, her fingers gently pressing the button on the radio.

She took several deep breaths to steady her heartbeat, then pressed the comm key.

“Master, it’s me.” Her voice was deliberately calm.

A pause on the other end, then Ye Lan’s icy voice came through: “Li Xin, you disappoint me.”

Each word felt like a blade slicing Li Xin’s skin.

Ye Lan continued, “My most trusted subordinate turns out to be a traitor. Taking away my little pet—how far do you think you can run?”

Li Xin peered through the tiny hole in the trunk at Mu Xi sitting in the clearing’s center.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dancing over her silver-white hair like scattered stars.

“I don’t want to explain much,” Li Xin lowered her voice.

“Let’s make a deal. I’ll return Mu Xi to you, and you let me leave the forest safely.”

Ye Lan’s cold laugh came over the radio, “You can’t escape. The Escort Team has blocked every exit.”

Li Xin gripped the pistol tighter, “Then I’ll die alongside your little pet.”

She paused deliberately, letting the weight of her threat settle, “You know I can do it.”

A long silence stretched across the radio.

Li Xin imagined Ye Lan’s expression—those sharp phoenix eyes narrowed, dangerous and cold.

“Fine.” Ye Lan finally relented, her voice heavy with suppressed fury.

“Send me the coordinates. I’m coming immediately.”

A faint smile tugged at Li Xin’s lips.

Ye Lan’s obsession with Mu Xi truly surpassed everything.

No matter how deadly the trap, as long as it involved her “pet,” she would come personally.

No matter how elite the Escort Team, they were only tools for transmitting information.

Li Xin quickly relayed their current coordinates, telling Ye Lan to come whenever she was ready.

Then she shut off the radio and tucked it into her pocket.

“Mu Xi,” she called softly, just loud enough for the girl in the clearing to hear.

“She agreed. She’ll be here soon. Remember, don’t get too excited—keep up the act of being injured.”

Mu Xi nodded slightly.

Her silver-white hair swayed gently with the movement.

She adjusted her sitting posture, making the blood-stained purple uniform more visible, while her right hand rested naturally on her thigh, fingertips only a few centimeters from the small Knife hidden in her sleeve.

“Li Xin,” Mu Xi whispered in response, her gaze still fixed ahead, as if speaking to the empty air, “I know what to do.”

Li Xin watched her figure, a wave of complicated emotions swelling in her heart.

Beneath that seemingly fragile frame hid an incredibly resilient soul.

She checked the pistol’s magazine, confirming the bullets were chambered.

Adjusting her breathing, she synchronized her heartbeat with the forest’s rhythm.

The waiting had begun.

Time in the forest blurred, each second stretched into eternity.

Tree shadows swayed, sunlight filtering through gaps in the leaves.

Mu Xi remained perfectly still, maintaining her wounded posture.

Her silver-white hair draped over her shoulders, the blood on her purple uniform already half-dried.

She could hear her own heartbeat echoing in her chest, yet outwardly wore a pained and weak expression.

The Escort Team’s spies could be lurking anywhere.

A single misstep could ruin the entire plan.