Young Master Lang narrowed his eyes: "It seems one truly shouldn’t lie. I deceived you just once, and you intend to hold it against me for a lifetime?"
Chu Ruoyan remained silent.
The man before her was far too dangerous—one moment he could be laughing and joking with her, the next he wouldn’t hesitate to betray her.
She didn’t oppose people having their own schemes, but she had always believed that even someone as ruthless as Third Yan must harbor a softness like Yan Wenjing deep within. Yet in Young Master Lang, she saw none of it!
No attachments, no concerns—this man was far too inscrutable!
"Ah, how heartbreaking. Well, no matter. Who could blame me, when this humble master has always had a soft spot for beauties?" Young Master Lang lazily raised a brow and extended a hand toward her. "Then mount up. This master will take—"
Before he could finish the word "you," Chu Ruoyan pressed against the saddle and swiftly swung onto the back of another horse.
Young Master Lang’s eyes flickered with surprise. "You know how to ride?"
Chu Ruoyan nudged the horse’s flank, and the steed instantly bolted ahead several li.
Young Master Lang smirked and followed.
Cuiping Mountain was desolate and uninhabited.
The scouts sent ahead by the Bai Xiao Pavilion had already marked the path. After traveling along the mountain trail for nearly half a shichen, they spotted a pavilion—and there lay Yan Wenjing, eyes tightly shut!
Chu Ruoyan’s heart clenched, and she moved to dismount, but Young Master Lang pulled her back, his tone languid. "Come out. What’s the point of hiding in such a cramped space? Trying to imitate rats?"
As soon as he spoke, twenty to thirty black-clad men surged from around the pavilion. Their leader was tall and imposing, his noble bearing unmistakable even behind the mask.
"As expected of the master of Bai Xiao Pavilion. No wonder no one in the capital dares to deal with you."
Young Master Lang scoffed. "Enough chatter. Hand him over, and I’ll spare your wretched life."
He said "your" rather than "yours," making it clear the other black-clad men would not be spared.
Chu Ruoyan suddenly spoke. "Imperial Son-in-law Cao... is that you?"
The man frowned. She continued, "I once heard that the Grand Princess favors incense, especially the scent of Dalbergia. And what a coincidence—Imperial Son-in-law Cao carries that very fragrance."
The man chuckled and slowly removed his mask. "The Grand Princess once said the Chu family’s eldest daughter was clever. Seeing you today, the reputation holds true."
The face beneath the mask bore a fifty percent resemblance to Cao Yang, still retaining traces of the refined elegance of his youth.
Chu Ruoyan took a deep breath. "Imperial Son-in-law Cao, since you know the master of Bai Xiao Pavilion is here, you won’t escape today. Hand over Wenjing."
"Is that so?" Imperial Son-in-law Cao waved his hand, and the black-clad men rushed forward.
Young Master Lang uttered a single word: "Fools."
A volley of arrows rained from behind him, instantly claiming over a dozen lives!
"It’s the Zhuge repeating crossbow!"
Uncle Cheng at Imperial Son-in-law Cao’s side gasped. But before the echoes of the first volley faded, the next round of arrows was already nocked.
Young Master Lang grinned. "Sharp eyes. How about I reward you with an intact corpse?"
He took the crossbow from the portly shopkeeper and aimed it at the two men. Uncle Cheng gritted his teeth. "My lord, flee!"
Imperial Son-in-law Cao didn’t move.
Today, he had already stirred the hornet’s nest. If he failed now, he would never get another chance like this.
Clenching his jaw, he suddenly shouted, "Master Lang, don’t you want to know the whereabouts of the person you’ve been searching for all these years?"
The smile on Young Master Lang’s face vanished instantly. "What did you say?"
Though his voice was calm, Imperial Son-in-law Cao felt a bone-chilling coldness seep into him. He tightened his fists. "I—I know his whereabouts! But for today’s matter, I ask the master to stand aside!"
Young Master Lang’s gaze sharpened, then he sneered. "You don’t actually think I’d be foolish enough to believe that a mere consort like you could find someone Bai Xiao Pavilion has sought for years, do you?"
"It’s true! During the upheaval in Lingnan, that person was betrayed by a traitor and injured..."
In just those few words, Young Master Lang’s expression shifted repeatedly before he finally raised a hand.
"Lower the crossbows!"
Imperial Son-in-law Cao exhaled in relief. Chu Ruoyan pressed her lips together. "So the master intends to go back on his word again?"
Young Master Lang ignored her, speaking only to Imperial Son-in-law Cao. "Her life—you leave that to me."
Imperial Son-in-law Cao nodded. "Master Lang need not worry. I only want the lives of the Yan family!"
Only then did Young Master Lang turn to Chu Ruoyan, flashing her a dazzling smile. "Apologies, little blind one. But that person’s life is far too important..."
Before he could finish, Chu Ruoyan replied coolly, "It’s fine. I told you I wouldn’t trust you, so I never placed my hopes in you to begin with."
The words struck Young Master Lang with an inexplicable pang. Then he watched as she stepped forward, her slender frame standing tall and unyielding.
"Imperial Son-in-law Cao, aren’t you afraid the Grand Princess will learn of your actions today?"
Cao Dong snarled, "Don’t speak of the Grand Princess to me! If not for the Yan family, she would never have ended up like this!"
"Then you should seek out Yan Zheng. He’s the one who caused the Grand Princess to miscarry. What does Wenjing have to do with it?"
Cao Dong faltered, his eyes turning bloodshot. "It’s the entire Yan family! Back then, the Grand Princess adored Yan Xu, but he was too blind to see her worth—he insisted on marrying Xie Yuan! And that Xie Yuan was worse than scum! The Grand Princess treated her like a sister, yet she stole her love, shamelessly married Yan Xu, and even caused the Grand Princess to lose her child!!"
"Every last one of the Yan family is rotten to the core! They all deserve to die—to perish without a grave!!"
Chu Ruoyan was stunned.
Not only had he twisted a tale of mutual affection into something so vile, but if Yan Xu had actually accepted the Grand Princess back then, where would Cao Dong be now?
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the portly shopkeeper pulling out paper and brush, scribbling notes.
She raised her voice. "So Imperial Son-in-law Cao has been plotting all this time, waiting for the Yan family’s campaign to destroy them all?"
"Hah, exactly!" Cao Dong laughed maniacally. Uncle Cheng tried to stop him, but he roared, "Yan Xu boasts of being undefeated in battle, doesn’t he? Then I’ll make sure he dies on the battlefield! First, I had Yuan Peng tamper with the provisions—mixing chaff into the grain so the soldiers couldn’t eat their fill. The supplies dwindled rapidly, forcing Yan Xu to march out for a decisive battle!"
"Then the weapons—that was all thanks to his precious son-in-law! He smoothed the way, ensuring the blades and spears were replaced with brittle scrap metal. Even if the Southern Barbarians were fools, they could slaughter an unarmed Yan army, couldn’t they? The hardest part was the city’s defenses. Yan Xu sired capable sons, especially the heir—he was a tough nut to crack. But then, the Marquis of Pingjing came to me—"
The rest needed no explanation.
The Marquis of Pingjing sought him out for vengeance, and the two joined forces, using Ajiao to steal the city’s defense plans—leading to their crushing defeat!
Chu Ruoyan glared coldly at Cao Dong. "So for your personal vendetta, you sent a hundred thousand soldiers to their deaths?"
"More than that! Do you think the Southern Barbarians just happened to split their forces—one to lure Yan Xu out, the other to flank the city? That was my masterpiece! I personally sent someone to advise the King of Southern Barbarians!"
Chu Ruoyan’s eyes burned with fury. Beside her, the portly shopkeeper snapped his brush in half and cursed under his breath, "Monster!"
Cao Dong seemed to have been suppressing his emotions for far too long. After pouring out his words in one breath, he exhaled deeply and said, "Finally, it's done. The Yan family has been wiped out, leaving only that whelp Yan Wenjing. It was right here in this pavilion that the Eldest Princess lost her child. Now, I will make sure the Yan family meets the same fate—cut off from their lineage, right on this very spot!"
