Luo Ling asked several questions in succession, and Lu Qianning was puzzled as well. She shook her head. “No one knows where the carriage came from, but one thing is certain: from now on, they won’t be disguising themselves in public anymore. That can only mean they have even more confidence than before.”
Suddenly, she remembered something and slapped the table. “I know! I finally know why they’re always faster than us!”
She looked delighted, as if she had solved a case. At last, she had figured out many of the things that had puzzled her.
Back in the mountains, Xi Qingyue and Xi Weilan had sometimes appeared alone and sometimes together. She had found that strange and had even wondered whether they were ghosts or monsters. Later, however, it had been proven that they were not ghosts, but simply two children.
They could travel faster in their mule cart than she could on horseback. That had always baffled her, but now everything made sense.
“Princess, you figured it out?”
Lu Qianning nodded. “If the carriage can appear out of thin air, then it can disappear just as easily. The same goes for people—and for the mule cart. They can put the cart away and use another vehicle to travel, like… the ghost fires everyone encountered along the road.”
She recalled how everyone had been discussing the ghost fires along the way. They were very likely caused by the Xi sisters. She could think of no one else who might have done it.
Even so, Luo Ling still found it hard to believe. “Princess, you didn’t see it just now? The vehicle they were riding was so small that even an adult couldn’t sit in it, and it wasn’t very fast either. It couldn’t even outrun the mule cart, let alone match the speed of those ghost fires we saw.”
Lu Qianning tapped her on the forehead. “You fool. How can you be sure that’s their only small vehicle? That’s merely the one they chose to show you. Just wait. Once there’s a first time, there’ll be a second. Before long, you’ll see even more outrageous things.”
She suspected that Xi Qingyue possessed some kind of spatial magic, like a universe hidden within one’s sleeve. Otherwise, there was no way things could appear and disappear out of nowhere. Still, she was not entirely certain.
Outside the Princess’s residence, the moment the Xi sisters appeared on the street riding their little electric scooter, they attracted the attention of several onlookers.
The common people were utterly astonished to see two children riding such a vehicle. It was simply too unbelievable.
With one hand on the scooter’s handlebars, Xi Weilan happily stomped on the pedals and laughed. She even hummed a little tune along with the music. The people on both sides of the street hurriedly moved aside, frightened by the strange and thunderously loud music.
“A demon! That’s a demon!” someone shouted, pointing at the little vehicle they were riding.
Mu Jin shot the man a cold look and sternly rebuked him. “Stop spouting nonsense! Just because you’ve never seen something before, does that make it a demon? Can’t you see that it’s a cleverly crafted mechanical toy for children? Stop making such a fuss.”
The man immediately hunched his neck and fell silent. The other commoners breathed sighs of relief, though they still could not resist staring at the strange vehicle with curiosity.
Xi Weilan even rode the scooter over to the man and stopped in front of him. With a serious expression, she asked, “Young man, do I look like a monster to you?”
Meeting the innocent, bewildered gaze of a three-year-old child, the man’s face instantly flushed with shame. “N-no… you don’t.”
Such an adorable child—and he had actually called the thing she was riding a demon. He must have been out of his mind.
Xi Weilan broke into a radiant smile, waved at him, and continued pedaling forward. She loved this street. Playing here was so much more fun with all the people and bustle.
Xi Qingyue sat behind her and let her enjoy herself. Once everyone became accustomed to her little electric scooter, Xi Qingyue could openly take out their other vehicles whenever they traveled again. There would be no need to stay awake through the night anymore.
She was only eight, and Lan'er was only three. They were both still growing and could not keep staying up all night.
If anything happened again, they would simply deal with it openly.
The imperial guards patrolling the streets also saw the sisters’ little vehicle. They stared wide-eyed as it slowly disappeared into the distance, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Soon afterward, the captain of the patrol hurriedly ordered one of his men to report the matter to the palace. They had never seen such an ingenious mechanical toy before. The matter had to be reported to their superiors—what if the Emperor took an interest in the craftsman who had made it?
The Eighth Prince happened to be wandering through the streets when he saw the scene. The corners of his lips curled into a cold smile.
“Come on. Follow them and see where they go. The matter of their killing someone last time hasn’t been settled yet. Just because Father has been too busy to remember them lately doesn’t mean he’s forgotten them. Send someone to notify the Grand Tutor’s residence. Tell them that the two murderers are riding a demon around town and flaunting it.”
As he spoke, he sent one of his men to inform the Grand Tutor’s residence. Once they received the news, they certainly would not let the matter go.
Xi Qingyue paid no attention to the reactions of the people in the street. All she cared about was that her little sister was only three. If Lan'er wanted to play, she should be allowed to play as much as she liked. After all, they had both the means and the confidence to indulge her.
Before long, Xi Weilan stopped the little scooter in front of a restaurant.
She switched off the music and turned around. “Big Sister, let’s get something to eat first. Afterward, we can go buy some other things. But what should we do with the scooter?”
Mu Jin smiled and stepped forward. “Don’t worry, Miss. I’ll have people keep watch over it. Nothing will happen to it.”
Xi Qingyue got off the scooter and smiled at her before lifting Xi Weilan down and taking her by the hand toward the restaurant. “Come on. The scooter will be fine.”
Just then, the Eighth Prince arrived at the entrance of the restaurant with his men.
Looking at the little electric scooter, he ordered his attendants, “Guards, seize that demon! I’m taking it to Father for judgment.”
His words had barely fallen when, before Mu Jin and the others could even make a move, a fierce gust of wind suddenly swept in. A small tornado formed at the entrance of the restaurant and surged straight toward the Eighth Prince.
“Ahhh…!”
A scream rang out, startling everyone on the entire street. Even the patrolling imperial guards rushed over in alarm.
After the screams subsided, the Eighth Prince lay on the ground, his fate unknown. Blood covered his body, as though he had been slashed with a knife, and even his clothes were torn to pieces.
The men who had been about to seize the little scooter no longer had any time to worry about it. They hurried to the Eighth Prince, lifted him up, and rushed toward the residence. Others went to summon the imperial physicians. Every one of them was sweating profusely with anxiety.
The commoners who had witnessed the scene all retreated. They remembered that the Eighth Prince had been injured after ordering his men to seize the “demon.” Could it truly be a demon?
At that moment, Xi Qingyue suddenly spoke up. “Sigh… It seems the Eighth Prince must have committed some unforgivable sin and angered Heaven. This is clearly divine punishment.”
The commoners immediately found her words convincing. Wind, rain, thunder, and lightning had always been the might of Heaven. If the Eighth Prince had suffered divine punishment, he must have done something that enraged the heavens.
Thinking of the events that had recently taken place in the capital, they immediately associated it with the struggle over the succession and the thieves who had been running rampant throughout the city. Could the Eighth Prince be behind it all?
Once that thought occurred to them, the servants who had come out to make purchases hurried back to inform their masters.
If it was true, they would certainly have to go to the Eighth Prince and demand that he return the money they had lost.
Seeing everyone’s reaction, Xi Qingyue led Xi Weilan into the restaurant with a smile.
