Chapter 29: Don't You Know?

This is bad. If this continues, what should I do? I have no way to fight back, and there are no weapons nearby. The weapon in Lian Bailiu’s hand is both unusual and vicious.

Si Nuosang’s head throbbed with pain—how was she supposed to deal with what came next? She absolutely couldn’t die at this woman’s hands. No way. So there was only one thing left to do.

Run!

She turned and dashed away at full speed.

“Trying to run? Hmph, I thought you were something special. Dared to follow me, but in the end, you’re just a cowardly woman afraid of death. I thought you’d be so impressive—what a disappointment!” Lian Bailiu sneered and quickly gave chase. Just as she was about to catch up, Si Nuosang abruptly pulled a military knife from inside her shoe and slashed at her. Lian Bailiu hadn’t expected such a move and was startled, her hand wounded in the process.

“Did you really think I couldn’t beat you?” Si Nuosang stared at her coldly. The cut was deep, and the whip slipped from Lian Bailiu’s grasp.

“Hmph, courting death!” Lian Bailiu lunged for the whip on the ground, but Si Nuosang wasn’t about to give her the chance. With a swift kick, she sent Lian Bailiu sprawling. There was a sharp crack—her hand was likely dislocated.

Si Nuosang picked up the whip, holding it against her.

“Don’t do anything rash. That whip is poisoned,” Lian Bailiu warned, seeing the intent in Si Nuosang’s eyes.

“Of course I know it’s poisoned. But what does that matter? Didn’t you just try to kill me with it? Now you want to beg for mercy? Where’s your arrogance now, Lian Bailiu?”

Si Nuosang’s gaze was icy as she watched the woman, not noticing the sly smile curling at Lian Bailiu’s lips. With a flick of her hand, Lian Bailiu released a sudden cloud of powder. The first thing Si Nuosang noticed was the poison. She quickly covered her face and backed away. In that instant, Lian Bailiu snatched her whip back.

“This time, I won’t let you take my whip again. Otherwise, I’m not Lian Bailiu,” she declared, brandishing the whip at her. Si Nuosang now gripped the military knife. That whip—this woman was truly venomous at heart. Luckily, the powder wasn’t a lethal poison, and she’d managed to evade it. Now, she had to subdue this woman no matter what.

Her gaze fell on some wooden sticks nearby. One by one, she hurled them at Lian Bailiu, tangling the whip with the wood. With her right hand wounded, Lian Bailiu’s strength should be diminished, so Si Nuosang wasn’t afraid. She used the sticks as cover, then took advantage of a nearby tree, using it as a pivot to vault over Lian Bailiu’s head. If only she had true lightness skills, like Xuan Yuan Juesi—soaring effortlessly into the air.

But her speed was enough; she landed behind Lian Bailiu and slashed at her back with the knife.

It wasn’t that Lian Bailiu was weak—it was that Si Nuosang was simply too strong. Lian Bailiu’s physical abilities were lacking, but her moves were all deadly; carelessness meant courting death.

The knife cut deep into Lian Bailiu’s back.

“You’re no match for me,” Si Nuosang declared.

Lian Bailiu lunged at her again, whip in hand—a dangerous weapon.

At that moment, two men watched them from a distance.

“If we don’t step in soon, Miss Si might be in danger,” Mo Qianli said, glancing at Xuan Yuan Juesi, who was still sipping his tea.

“Does she look like she needs help?” Xuan Yuan Juesi replied. “That woman is hiding her true strength. Lian Bailiu’s martial arts aren’t top tier, but she’s formidable. Normally, Si Nuosang is suppressed by me, but who would have thought she’d become so ferocious?”

“Still, we should go. If Lian Bailiu escapes, all our efforts will be wasted.” Mo Qianli stood, left payment for the tea, and headed out. They’d only noticed Si Nuosang following a woman by chance, and from their vantage point at the teahouse, they’d seen everything clearly.

Xuan Yuan Juesi rose to follow. They saw Lian Bailiu wounded in several places. As they approached, Si Nuosang sensed their presence.

No—she needed to take a hit, or else she’d have no way to explain later. But the whip was still poisoned. What could she do? She wrapped her water sleeves around the whip, then quickly closed in, aiming a punch. Lian Bailiu struck back at once; Si Nuosang abruptly withdrew, taking a heavy blow to the chest. Blood spurted from her lips as she collapsed, feigning unconsciousness.

Seeing this, Xuan Yuan Juesi immediately drew his sword.

“Do you want to die?” he threatened.

“And you are?”

“Who am I? Since you killed Po Ming, you should know who I am,” Xuan Yuan Juesi said. Mo Qianli quickly restrained Lian Bailiu, while Xuan Yuan Juesi scooped Si Nuosang into his arms and sped off, using lightness skills.

He looked genuinely anxious—Lian Bailiu had struck hard, using all her strength.

“Si Nuosang! Si Nuosang!” Xuan Yuan Juesi called her name twice.

“I’m fine,” Si Nuosang replied, opening her eyes with difficulty. She didn’t want this person, who seemed so worried, to fret any more.

“Fine? You can barely speak—don’t force yourself. Shut up. If you die, I’ll be in real trouble!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t die that easily.”

“Right. You did it on purpose, didn’t you? You let yourself get hurt, afraid I’d question you. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?” He looked at her sternly. Did she really think she could fool him?

Impossible. Si Nuosang realized at once that her injury had been for nothing.

“Fine, I suffered this wound for nothing! Outsmarted myself.”

“Quiet. Your internal injuries are serious.” He scolded her for continuing to talk, and Si Nuosang had no choice but to fall silent.

But it really hurt—and all for nothing. Serves her right, being too clever for her own good. Still, Xuan Yuan Juesi’s embrace was warm and comforting. The feeling soon soothed her pain, and she drifted into sleep.

When she awoke, she was lying on a bed. Her clothes had been removed, her wounds wrapped in gauze, and a quilt covered her. Her chest ached.

She smelled the aroma of herbal medicine. Xuan Yuan Juesi entered, carrying a bowl of medicine himself.

“There’s no need for such courtesy—just let Yiyi do it,” she said.

“Yiyi? I wouldn’t dare trouble her. She’s busy in the mulberry house. If I called her back, would you have me go there myself? I’d rather keep earning money—your mulberry house is going to make me rich!” He said this deliberately, actually annoyed by Yiyi’s closeness with her, which was why he wouldn’t let Yiyi tend to her.