Chapter 12

After leaving the city, Shen Yao Xing noticed that the starting route of this carriage was the same as theirs. The luxurious carriage, even the horses, were more robust, and it drove far ahead of them in the distance.

After leaving the city, they had to go around the forest, and the road became increasingly rugged and uneven. Fortunately, the soft cushions in the carriage could smooth out the bumps very well. Shen Yao Xing lay on her side on the silk cushion, propping her head up with her legs crossed, resting with her eyes closed, and still muttering leisurely.

“Take it slow, take it slow, we’re not in a hurry.”

These words were meant for Hei Sha and Bai Sha, who were driving the carriage outside. She was just thinking that the slower they returned, the better. Ideally, it would take a few more days, allowing her to experience more of this free atmosphere without having to go back and face her mother’s dark face.

“M-M-Miss… M-Master h-h-hasn’t s-s-seen…”

Listening to it made Shen Yao Xing feel quite laborious. It was almost impossible to piece together what she wanted to say. Fortunately, Bai Sha was quick to take over.

“The master hasn’t seen you for a long time and specifically sent a message to us to take good care of you and not let you spend too much time on the road.”

As expected of a mother, she understood her daughter’s little thoughts the most. Knowing that she would definitely find some things to delay time on the road, she specifically set the number of days for their return to the capital. If they were late, it would be considered a failure of the two of them to protect their master, and they, as the servants, would be the ones to be punished.

The person in the carriage didn’t say anything. Hei Sha and Bai Sha glanced at each other, both falling silent and not speaking further, diligently being qualified coachmen.

Inside the carriage, Shen Yao Xing changed to a lying position, spreading her hands out, her gaze staring blankly at the roof of the carriage. In her heart, she was already used to such a mother.

Perhaps because she was the only daughter of the Shen family, her mother had always been both strict and doting towards her. In some aspects, her mother would require her to do it, but in other aspects, her demands were also indulgent. From childhood to adulthood, almost everything she wanted, her mother would satisfy her.

It couldn’t be denied that her mother had a bit of a controlling desire towards her, especially when she was young. It was only later when she grew up and became more rebellious that this suffocating control loosened up since she couldn’t be controlled to that extent.

Speaking of which, as an only child, Shen Yao Xing really had a lot of pressure. After her father passed away, her mother raised her until she was six years old before marrying again. It was said that the man was her mother’s old flame from her youth. Even though that man had already had a child with someone else and brought along a burden, she still resolutely married him.

However, later on, for some unknown reason, whether they had a fight or something else, whether it was out of spite or intentional, after only two years of marriage, her mother took in another young concubine. Moreover, this young concubine had a few similarities in appearance to that old flame.

As a spectator eating melons, Shen Yao Xing felt that this plot was even more exciting than the emotional dramas on television.

But what made Shen Yao Xing most depressed was, why not have another child in this situation? Shouldn’t this be the time to play out the script of the mother gaining status through her child? Oh no, it should be the father gaining status through his daughter.

The father gaining status through his daughter…

The image of a man with a big belly fighting for favor flashed through Shen Yao Xing’s mind, and she almost threw up her overnight meal. She quickly shook off the eye-catching image in her mind and lifted the curtain to take a deep breath of fresh air.

As the sky gradually darkened and the carriage had been traveling for a day, they saw a lonely inn standing in the wilderness just as the last bit of light disappeared.

Bai Sha stopped the carriage next to the inn, turned around, and lifted the carriage curtain, softly calling out to the girl who was sleeping sprawled out in the carriage: “Miss?”

“……” Shen Yao Xing frowned slightly and sleepily opened her eyes, glancing at her.

“Miss, we’ve arrived at the inn. It’s already dark, so shall we spend the night here?” Bai Sha’s voice was very soft as if afraid to disturb the girl.

Shen Yao Xing nodded while rubbing her eyes, slowly crawling up from the silk cushion and following her out of the carriage.

The inn had already lit candles at this time, and the dim candlelight seeped out from the slightly dilapidated windows. Shen Yao Xing yawned, and from the corner of her eye, she noticed the extremely luxurious carriage parked outside the inn.

She smacked her lips sleepily and scratched her neck, not paying much attention to it.

Inside the inn, the candlelight flickered with the night lamp, and there was not a single person inside. It was so quiet that only the footsteps of the three of them could be heard. Shen Yao Xing yawned and sat down at the table closest to her.

Hei Sha stood behind her, while Bai Sha walked inside and tapped on the counter: “Is anyone there!”

The loud voice sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet inn.

Shen Yao Xing propped her head up without much energy, her gaze surveying the interior of the inn. It was quite spacious, but the decor was somewhat old, though it was still relatively clean. Such a large place only had one candle lit, and who knew how stingy they were.

Bai Sha had to call out several times before getting a response. A dirty and tattered cloth curtain beside the counter was lifted, and a frail figure holding a candle lamp walked out.

“Do you guests want to stay at the inn?” The woman’s face was wrinkled like a prune, and her voice was hoarse as if she was panting heavily.

“Yes.” Bai Sha nodded: “We want one main room and two side rooms, close to each other.” As she said that, she turned her head to look at Shen Yao Xing over there: “Miss, do you want to eat here or in the room?”

Shen Yao Xing tapped the table boredly: “Just eat here.”

“Order the dishes first.” Bai Sha turned back and said to the woman.

“Eh.” The frail woman slightly bowed and fumbled on her body for a moment before walking over to them: “May I ask what the young lady would like to eat?”

“Hmm.” Shen Yao Xing thought for a bit and then waved her hand boldly: “Give me a white cut chicken, a steamed fish, dragon whiskers and phoenix claws, and three bowls of rice.”

Just reporting the names of these dishes made her feel hungry.

But things never go as planned: “Guest, we don’t have any of the dishes you ordered in our small shop.”

Shen Yao Xing deflated: “Then what do you have?”

“We have noodles with meat, clear soup noodles, and rice porridge with preserved radish.”

“……” Now she knew why they were so stingy with lighting only one candle.

Shen Yao Xing eventually ordered three portions of vegetarian noodles. After all, in this remote wilderness, it was hard to say where the meat she mentioned came from. Having wandered around many places with Meng Xin Yi, she at least knew this bit of custom.

After the three of them finished their noodles, they went upstairs to rest in the rooms led by the woman.

Late at night

The candles in the inn were extinguished, and the silver moonlight shone into the hall from the entrance, half illuminated and half still immersed in darkness. A few dark figures lightly crept up to the second floor from the darkness and stood outside several bedrooms. They poked through the paper and blew anesthetic incense into the rooms. The dark figures glanced at each other and waited outside the rooms for a moment before pushing the doors open and entering.

The rooms were brightly lit by the moonlight. The bedding on the bed was slightly bulging. One of the dark figures drew out a gleaming wide blade and ruthlessly slashed at the person on the bed. The originally slightly raised arc was cut down. The dark figure was startled and abruptly lifted the bedding, only to see that there was nothing but a pillow underneath.

“Where is the person!?”

“Are you looking for me?” Outside the bedroom window, the girl hung upside down on the eaves, folding her arms and looking at them from above the window.

Knowing that they had been discovered, the dark figures’ expressions turned vicious. The three of them jumped onto the roof and launched an attack on the girl in unison. Who would have thought that the girl’s petite body was extremely agile, and not a single one of their blade strikes hit her? It was as if she was playing with them, and there wasn’t the slightest panic in her demeanor.

Shen Yao Xing’s toes lightly tapped on the tiles to borrow force and quickly jump and dodge. From a distance, it seemed like the girl had never landed, dancing gracefully under their blades, playing with great joy.

The three of them were already somewhat out of breath, sweat beading on their foreheads. One of them secretly touched the remaining anesthetic powder at their waist and suddenly sprinkled it towards the girl, but they saw that petite figure abruptly disappear in front of them.

The three of them panted heavily, their gazes searching around the rooftop but not seeing any trace of the person.

It was like seeing a ghost!

At this time, Shen Yao Xing was clinging to the edge of the eaves with one hand, her entire body suspended in midair. Her face was filled with intense interest, and her whole being was in high spirits. She planned to sneak up behind them for a surprise attack. Shen Yao Xing’s exact location was right in front of the window of the bedroom next to hers. Just as she was about to climb back onto the roof, she unintentionally caught sight of the scene inside the room.

The overwhelming smell of blood didn’t dissipate in the night breeze. The girl’s pupils slightly contracted.

The snow-white robe in front of the bed emanated a faint halo under the moonlight. He held a long sword in his right hand, his slender body as straight as a white pine, his exquisite and perfect profile like a deity under the moon. As if sensing something, his originally slightly lowered eyes lifted, turning his head to meet the gaze of the girl outside the window.

A drop of crimson blood slid down from the mole under his eye. The moonlight shone on half of his face, the shadows looking particularly eerie, his entire being transforming from a heavenly deity to a hellish asura. Shen Yao Xing knew that the blood wasn’t his, for not far from his feet lay two headless corpses.

Seeing clearly the person outside the window, the man slightly tilted his head.

Miss Shen?

A voice lighter than a sigh drifted into Shen Yao Xing’s ears. She couldn’t help but shudder, climbing up in a fluster, momentarily forgetting the fact that she had lightness skills, climbing onto the roof in a rather clumsy manner.

Why was this pervert here!?

The words “lingering ghost” and “clashing fates” kept revolving in Shen Yao Xing’s mind.

Just as she went up, the three people above slashed at her again. Shen Yao Xing quickly jumped back to dodge, cursing in her heart. After evading a few moves, she suddenly raised her foot and kicked one of them, directly kicking that person off the eaves.

The sharp-eyed Shen Yao Xing noticed that the man in the snow-white robe was now standing on the ridge on the other side, quietly watching her side.

He was just short of grabbing a handful of melon seeds to munch on.

Hei Sha and Bai Sha also jumped up at this point. The remaining two people, seeing that they couldn’t win, wanted to run. The annoyed Shen Yao Xing couldn’t let them get away so easily. The moment they jumped out, she flashed over and grabbed their ankles. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, she fiercely flung them towards the man’s direction. The man lightly leaped up to dodge, and the fragile eaves, unable to bear the weight, shattered into a large hole, causing the two people to fall into the room.

“Tsk.” Seeing that she didn’t hit him, Shen Yao Xing was a bit disappointed. She instructed Hei Sha and Bai Sha to tie up the few people and then ignored them, going back to the room to catch up on sleep.

Early the next morning, the hall of the inn was empty. The frail woman who had greeted them last night was also nowhere to be seen. Shen Yao Xing didn’t pay attention, stretching lazily and swaggering out of the inn.

“Miss Shen.” A cold male voice came from behind.

Shen Yao Xing’s figure stiffened for a moment. With a displeased expression, she turned her head: “What is it?”

Jiang Ming Yue stepped forward slowly, stopping five steps away from the girl. His upturned eyes slightly raised, his pupils dark like a deep pool: “I wonder if Miss Shen is also heading to the capital?”

“No.” The girl raised her chin, denying without a hint of hesitation.

The man seemed not to have heard her denial and calmly walked towards his own carriage, continuing: “Ming Yue happens to be going to the capital as well. Why don’t we go together?”

Shen Yao Xing’s gaze fell on the man waiting beside the luxurious carriage. His face was painted white, in the same state as the man on the stage last time. Thinking that this was that whatever, goosebumps immediately broke out all over her body.

Hah, she was afraid she would be secretly killed by this person before even reaching the capital.

Shen Yao Xing silently refused on the spot and jumped onto the carriage, urging Hei Sha and Bai Sha to drive the carriage away.

Jiang Ming Yue watched the departing carriage, his eyes cold and dark. He glanced at the pale-faced man beside him. The man, as if receiving an order, walked into the inn and set it on fire with a torch.

The women tied up on the second floor struggled frantically, crawling on the ground, wanting to escape from the second floor like maggots. The fire spread rapidly, soon reaching the second floor. Jiang Ming Yue lazily reclined on the soft couch in the carriage, lightly closing his eyes, never sparing a glance at the raging fire.

The scorching flames burned the nearby trees, only stopping when they were reduced to charred frameworks.