“Ye Lan brought this on herself.”
He Yi sneered, a hint of mockery flashing in her eyes, “Last time, she invited those masked Guests to visit, and even had you go on stage to perform. Someone among them recognized you and sold the news to a Wucheng Gang Leader at an outrageous price. After passing through several hands, the news finally reached the head of the Armed Group.”
Mu Xi’s body suddenly stiffened, and the shame of standing on that stage that day surged back to her.
Ye Lan had once forced her to eat Throat Lozenges, then made her perform before a crowd, her singing laced with an uncontrollable desire.
So that performance was not just a humiliation, but a turning point in her fate.
“Now is the perfect chance to kill Ye Lan.”
He Yi’s voice suddenly dropped, a cold light flashing in her eyes, her face hiding the ruthlessness of an assassin, “The Manor is in chaos, she’s lost almost all her defenses, we can—”
A sudden gunshot cut her off.
A blossom of bright red instantly bloomed on He Yi’s chest.
Her eyes filled with disbelief as her body toppled backward, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
“Just as I thought.” Ye Lan’s voice came from the doorway.
She stood there with more than a dozen fully armed Escort Team members, the muzzles of their guns still smoking.
That face, which always wore an elegant smile, was now covered with icy frost, and the deep phoenix eyes burned with rage.
“I knew you were colluding with He Yi.” Ye Lan strode into the room, the crisp sound of her heels striking shattered stone.
“I gave you wealth and glory, a life of comfort, and yet you kept betraying me.”
Mu Xi instinctively stepped back, bumping into Little An.
He Yi’s blood slowly trickled across the floor, winding into a bizarre red stream, as if mocking fate.
Ye Lan sighed, her expression suddenly softening, “But none of that matters anymore.”
She reached her hand out to Mu Xi, her fingertips trembling slightly, “The urgent thing now is to get out of here. Come, I won’t punish you.”
Mu Xi stood rooted to the spot, staring at the outstretched hand, her heart tangled with fear, hatred, and indescribable complex emotions.
That hand had given her a life of comfort, but had also imprisoned her in a gilded cage; that hand had caressed her cheek, and had also gripped her throat.
In truth, Mu Xi had no choice.
Behind Ye Lan were more than a dozen fully armed Escort Team members, and He Yi’s corpse on the ground silently warned her what would happen if she resisted.
Even more frightening, if she stayed, she would either be blown up, or—should those other forces chasing Ye Lan find her—they would only use her as a tool to control Wu City, a mere puppet.
Her fingers trembled, but she still reached out.
“Good choice.” Ye Lan’s fingertips touched hers, warm and gentle, belying the fact they had just taken a life.
“Hurry. We must leave immediately.”
The Escort Team quickly formed a protective circle around them.
Mu Xi felt her hand tightly gripped by Ye Lan, as if afraid she might vanish at any moment.
As they passed through the corridor ravaged by artillery fire, she didn’t dare look back at Little An, only hoping that loyal Butler could keep up.
Her silver hair, now blackened by smoke and dust, made her realize that her once-luxurious cage had already been shattered.
“Don’t worry, your little Butler is clever.” Ye Lan seemed to see right through her thoughts, her grip tightening just a bit.
“For now, focus on surviving.”
Outside the Manor, the lawn had already become a battlefield, burning wreckage and scattered corpses replacing the once-emerald carpet.
The Fountain was blasted to ruins, and all those exquisite sculptures had been destroyed beyond recognition.
A group of maids and security guards fled in panic across the open ground between the main building and the forest, their screams piercing the night sky.
Mu Xi, pulled along by Ye Lan, stumbled through the chaos.
Her height of 150 centimeters made her seem especially fragile in this crisis, almost crushed by the crowd, but Ye Lan’s grip on her wrist was as unyielding as iron.
“Little Master… over there!” Little An had somehow caught up, pointing to a hidden path deep in the forest.
Her voice was almost lost amid the explosions, but it had an immediate effect.
Ye Lan instantly changed direction, dragging Mu Xi towards it.
Deep in the forest, several off-road vehicles waited quietly, one of them clearly modified—its body covered with bulletproof steel and weapon systems.
“Stay sharp!” Ye Lan barked at her panicked subordinates, her voice cracking like a whip, “Evacuate in three groups as planned!”
The terrified crowd instantly fell into disciplined formation like a trained army.
Mu Xi saw Little An being roughly pushed toward another vehicle by a group of Guards.
Their eyes met one last time.
In Little An’s eyes, there was not only loyalty, but also something unspoken.
“She’ll be fine.” Ye Lan opened the back door of the modified vehicle and all but shoved Mu Xi inside, “Splitting up gives us the best chance.”
The air in the car was cold and oppressive.
Mu Xi shrank into a corner, the scent of her perfume mixed with milk now oddly out of place.
She bent over to look out the window, only to see the edge of the forest engulfed in a sea of fire, the Manor’s main building collapsing in the distance, flames dyeing half the sky red.
Another missile rained down from the sky, the blast wave making even the heavy vehicle shake.
Warm blood and chunks of flesh splattered across the window, horrifying to behold.
Mu Xi couldn’t help but close her eyes, her stomach churning, but she knew she couldn’t collapse.
At least, not now.
“Are you alright?” Ye Lan leaned toward her, a rare genuine concern flashing in her phoenix eyes, fingers gently brushing Mu Xi’s cheek to check for injuries.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.” Mu Xi forced a reply, her voice even hoarser than she expected.
She couldn’t ignore the warmth from Ye Lan’s fingers; the same hand that had just pulled the trigger was now as gentle as a feather.
The car suddenly lurched forward, heading deeper into the forest, the sound of tires on earth mingling with distant explosions.
The Escort Team members in the driver and passenger seats were fully alert, weapons ready for any ambush.
Silence filled the car, broken only by the engine’s roar and the blasts outside.
Mu Xi looked up and met Ye Lan’s deep gaze.
That look was so complicated it made her heart race.
“Did you know?” Ye Lan suddenly spoke, her voice low.
“I always thought this Manor was our fortress. But now…”
Her gaze swept over the sea of fire outside the window, “But it doesn’t matter. I believe in fate’s arrangement. There’s still hope.”
“Master…” Mu Xi blurted out the habitual address, then suddenly realized her own foolishness.
She still hadn’t broken free of her servitude.
“From now on,” Ye Lan leaned in close, her breath brushing Mu Xi’s ear, her voice so low it was almost inaudible, “call me Ye Lan.”
The car jolted violently, followed by a thunderous bang.
A bullet pierced the roof, grazing the Escort Team member in the front passenger seat, leaving a charred hole in the seat.
“Sniper!” the front Escort Team member shouted quickly, “Northwest, about three hundred meters!”
Ye Lan’s expression changed instantly.
She instinctively leaned over Mu Xi, shielding her with her body.
Mu Xi smelled the familiar perfume on Ye Lan, mixed with the scent of gunpowder and blood, and a strange blend of security and fear surged through her.