The voice murmured softly, laced with a hint of intoxicated affection.
The man leading the group waved his hand and let out a lewd chuckle.
“Miss Li has other matters to attend to. The rest of you, follow me. We’re going to clean out the remaining traitors from Qianji Manor—Li Huaixian’s remnants!”
“Yes, sir!”
Hundreds of soldiers responded in unison and immediately rushed out of the estate.
Seeing this, Li Muxian no longer held back.
Her delicate hand gently caressed Li Huaixian’s cheek.
“Tell me… if you had known things would come to this, would you have treated me differently back then? Hmm?”
Li Huaixian could feel her cold fingertips trailing across his face, sending a strange tickle across his skin.
He was just about to speak when suddenly—a loud crash echoed through the room.
The very door that man had ‘kindly’ closed earlier was now blasted wide open!
Splinters of wood flew in all directions!
Li Muxian shuddered in shock.
“Who’s there!?”
But before anyone could answer, the corpse of the dead Qianji assassin on the floor told her everything she needed to know.
Her thoughts spun in disbelief as she turned her head back to look at Li Huaixian.
The man who had just moments ago appeared unconscious was now standing calmly in front of her.
With an annoyed expression, Li Huaixian brushed the debris off his robe—he hated being dirty.
He looked down at Li Muxian, who was still kneeling on the bed, with disdainful arrogance.
‘That was close… way too close…’
‘If she’d gone just a little further, I wouldn’t be pure anymore…’
Li Muxian stammered, panic rising in her voice.
“Impossible… How could anyone stay awake after inhaling my Soul-Scattering Incense?!”
But even she now realized—the plan had failed.
Li Huaixian shook his head, watching her like she was some ridiculous clown.
Then, he shifted his gaze toward the chaos outside.
The assassins of Qianji Pavilion and the mysterious man’s forces were being slaughtered like kites with cut strings—falling helplessly from the sky.
***
Tianwen had arrived.
And with Tianwen came the killing order.
They were the sharpest blade in Li Huaixian’s hand.
Unstoppable.
Unrivaled.
It didn’t take long before all the assassins Li Muxian had brought were wiped out.
The man who had led them, realizing things had gone south, tried to flee toward the forest on the eastern side of the manor.
But moments later, he felt a cold sting on his neck.
His head was severed from his body.
The head flew several meters through the air while the body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
His wide-open eyes were filled with horror.
With the last ounce of strength, his mouth moved.
“It… it’s him…”
Because there had been over a hundred enemies that night, many scattered and tried to escape.
But scenes like this continued to play out across the battlefield.
Out of Li Huaixian’s sight, the Tianwen assassins unleashed their full killing potential.
Unrestrained. Merciless. Cold-blooded.
It was a slaughter.
***
Moments later, the leader of Tianwen returned.
Not a single drop of blood stained his clothing, yet the murderous aura he carried made Li Muxian tremble uncontrollably.
Compared to this man, the assassins she had brought were nothing more than helpless children.
She couldn’t help but wonder—
‘Was the man in front of her even human?’
Or was he the King of Hell himself, come to reap her soul?
She was truly terrified now!
And yet, in the very next moment, the person who had just scared her out of her wits suddenly dropped to his knees and respectfully bowed to Li Huaixian!
Her eyes bloodshot, she stared at the scene before her in utter disbelief.
So she never really understood this boy at all!
The boy she always saw as her personal possession… turned out to be this terrifying!
“Lord Pavilion Master, per your command, everyone in this manor has been eliminated tonight—except for Miss Li beside you.”
Hearing that, Li Muxian felt a fresh wave of cold creeping down her spine.
“Mm. You may go,” Li Huaixian replied calmly.
The room was in utter disarray.
Li Huaixian looked down at the completely devastated Li Muxian.
“Shall we talk?”
“Anything you want to say?”
Li Muxian felt like she had plunged into an ice-cold abyss.
She suddenly looked up at him, then staggered to her feet.
“Hahaha… so that’s how it is. Turns out, I wasn’t the one who outwitted you this time—you’ve been playing me all along!”
“And you still have the nerve to ask me if I have anything to say?!”
“I really am such a fool!”
She laughed like a madwoman.
All her hopes had been crushed, and she teetered on the edge of insanity.
Li Huaixian frowned at her words, then responded seriously.
“Yeah, I agree. You’ve always been pretty stupid. Not just stupid—also self-righteous, dramatic, and exhausting to be around.”
“But even so, you knew they were using you as a pawn—why still…”
“Ahhh! Enough, Li Huaixian!”
“You ask why I let myself be used? If I hadn’t tried so hard to prove myself in front of you all these years, would you have ever looked at me?”
“If I hadn’t constantly shown you how much I cared, would you ever have treated me with anything but coldness?”
“If your face hadn’t haunted my dreams day and night, would I… would I have ended up like this?”
“All I ever wanted was you!”
“I don’t get it! What does that dead girl Bu Ruoshui have that I don’t?! Every time I saw her act all dignified and reserved, I wanted to tear her skin off!”
Li Muxian’s words were hysterical.
Li Huaixian felt a chill run down his spine as he listened.
‘Seriously? We’re cousins, and you’ve been obsessed with me all this time?’
‘Too bad… I’ve never felt anything for people who only care about appearances—I have zero tolerance for possessiveness.’
Seeing that Li Muxian had fully descended into madness, Li Huaixian sighed and waved his hand, signaling his men to take her away and lock her up for the time being.
With her in custody, the mastermind behind her would soon grow impatient and reveal themselves.
Once everything was properly dealt with, dawn had already broken.
Li Huaixian was just about to rest when Cui Lian, Bu Ruoshui’s maid, arrived to invite him for tea.
Since the invitation came from Bu Ruoshui, there was no reason to decline.
Besides, ever since he had confessed his feelings and she had accepted, they hadn’t had much time to truly talk.
Thinking of this, he immediately agreed and followed the maid toward Qingfeng Pavilion.
***
Inside Qingfeng Pavilion—
“Hey, don’t you think our Palace Mistress has been acting really different lately?”
“Yes! I’ve noticed it too! It’s like she suddenly transformed from a gentle big sister into a regal, icy queen!”
“Exactly! That day I accidentally knocked one of her hairpins while doing her hair, and she just looked at me once—and I froze on the spot. I swear, my heart almost jumped out of my throat!”
“Yes, yes, that feeling exactly! I don’t know what happened to her… But honestly, her affairs aren’t something we servants should be discussing. We should just do our jobs and try not to make mistakes.”
As the young maids wiped down the ornate decorations in the hall, they chatted in hushed voices.
But it was hard to blame them—Bu Qingge had changed so drastically ever since awakening her memories as the Empress.
After exchanging a few words, the girls quietly went back to their work, silently warning themselves to be even more careful from now on.
Naturally, as the reincarnated Empress of the Lone Peak, Bu Qingge couldn’t be bothered with the gossip of a few servant girls.
At the moment, she was sitting in her room, feeling a little restless.
She wore a seductive dark-red dress, her long black hair simply pinned up with a jade hairpin.
One slender hand propped up her chin, while the other tapped impatiently on the table with no rhythm at all.
“Hmph. Me, the great Empress of the Lone Peak, actually feeling nervous like this… how laughable.”
“My mood’s even worse than the day that bitch betrayed me!”