Xi Qingyue had deliberately spared Hao Zhiyuan. Since he was a coward who had abandoned his family and fled, he would surely say anything to save his own skin.
Hao Zhiyuan immediately began begging for mercy. “Spare me, please! I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything! Just let me live, and I’ll disclose it all.”
Xi Qingyue smiled brightly. “Fine. As long as you tell the truth, I won’t kill you with my own hands.”
Hearing this, Hao Zhiyuan was overjoyed and quickly spilled everything.
“It was Tian Dian, the owner of the Jubao Building in Yao City. You had meals delivered from Hongyun Tavern before, and he figured you were carrying a lot of silver. He was also furious that you hadn’t spent money at his establishment. So he had people tail you to rob you, but when those men went missing, he got cautious.”
“I know Tian Dian. On my way through Yao City, I planned to borrow some money from him. When I arrived, he was cursing you. In a moment of foolishness, I mentioned I’d seen you—I said you two sisters were traveling alone, that you’d leave the city sooner or later, and suggested they wait for you outside the gates.”
Hao Zhiyuan’s voice faded as he spoke; he was truly terrified of death.
Xi Qingyue’s voice turned cold. “Where does Tian Dian live? Be specific.”
“At... on Taihe Street in the western part of the city. It’s the biggest three-courtyard property on that street, his home.”
“Good. Now you can die.”
Hao Zhiyuan’s eyes filled with resentment. “You promised not to kill me! I told you everything! You’re breaking your word!”
Xi Qingyue sneered. “I promised not to use my own hands. But there are plenty of other ways to make you die.”
Before she could use her powers, the curtain lifted, revealing a small head. “Big Sister, I can do it.”
With that, a small pistol was drawn. Bang! Hao Zhiyuan’s eyes widened in shock as he collapsed.
Xi Qingyue didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh. Was her little sister being thoughtful, or had she accidentally taught the child the wrong lesson?
“Big Sister, I was still in the carriage. I didn’t promise him anything,” Xi Weilan said, tucking away her pistol, her face full of anger. These people had come to kill them, and this man was the most hateful, the most deserving of death.
Xi Qingyue lifted her out and smiled. “Good. You did well. One can’t be too rigid. If we let him go, he’d come after us again. I said I wouldn’t use my hands to kill him, but there are plenty of ways to make him die.”
She scanned the area and wasn’t surprised not to see any other refugees. Only groups would venture out of the city after dark; scattered wanderers wouldn’t move recklessly at this hour—one wrong step could cost them their lives.
She put away the mule cart and said to Xi Weilan, “It looks like I need to go back into the city. You go to your room and rest. Big Sister will be done soon.”
Xi Weilan nodded. “Okay, Big Sister.”
Then Xi Qingyue sent her back into the space.
Looking at the bodies on the ground, Xi Qingyue considered for a moment before using her earth-based powers to bury them all underground. The ground was smoothed over, and all traces of blood vanished.
She didn’t want to leave them out—by morning, they might be dragged off and cooked for meat. Once that started, people would get used to it, and that wouldn’t be good in the long run.
She ran back toward Yao City, faster than the mule cart could go.
At the Tian residence, Tian Dian paced anxiously in his courtyard. He had no idea if his men would succeed tonight.
“Don’t worry, Master. It’ll be fine. Even if someone sees them outside the city, those refugees are just passing through—they won’t stay or meddle. Maybe they got the goods but couldn’t get back in before the city gates closed. If things go wrong, just blame Hao Zhiyuan. Say you knew nothing and push it all on him.”
Hearing this from his personal guard, Tian Dian smirked smugly. “Not bad. That’s all Hao Zhiyuan is good for. Does he really think I was helping him? Hah, wishful thinking.”
“You and Hao Zhiyuan are two peas in a pod. Neither of you are any good.”
The sudden voice startled Tian Dian and the guard. They whirled around to find its source.
Tian Dian shouted loudly, “Someone! Thief! Help!”
Xi Qingyue didn’t stop him. Instead, she raised her submachine gun, killed the guard, and aimed at the courtyard gate.
She remembered the lesson from killing Rich Man Wang—how it had left a trail that brought the authorities. She wouldn’t make the same mistake.
Anyone who rushed in to save Tian Dian at his screams died swiftly; she showed no mercy.
The people who stepped through the gate had no idea what hit them before Xi Qingyue cut them down. Tian Dian stood frozen, trembling, so terrified he wet himself.
Staring at the woman who shouldn’t be here, his eyes filled with horror. He dropped to his knees with a thud. “Spare me, miss! I was bewitched! I shouldn’t have sent men after you. I swear I’ll never do it again! Please, have mercy!”
With that, he kowtowed hard, the thud of his forehead hitting the ground loud and clear.
Xi Qingyue watched the courtyard gate fall silent, then slowly turned her head. Without a word, she raised her gun at Tian Dian.
“Just because I didn’t eat at your inn or buy from you, you wanted me dead. With that kind of petty pride, you’ve probably killed plenty before, haven’t you? This wasn’t just about finding trouble—you wanted to rob and murder. So let me finish you.”
Tian Dian kept kowtowing, begging, too afraid to speak. As he lifted his head, Xi Qingyue fired, hitting him square between the eyes.
Afterward, she went to Tian Dian’s storeroom and took all the gold, silver, jewels, and grain.
Then she set the yard on fire and left the Tian residence.
Xi Qingyue exited the city again but didn’t press on. She found a quiet, isolated spot and entered the space.
She calculated that it had only been a few days since leaving the mountains, yet the gold and silver she’d gained now totaled about two or three hundred thousand taels, plus all the jewelry and valuables.
She hadn’t even touched the gold originally in her space. With all this, she would never run out of money for a lifetime—how convenient.
In high spirits, she walked into the bedroom. Xi Weilan was on the bed, flipping through a picture book.
Seeing her sister, the girl jumped down and ran over. “Big Sister, you’re back!”
Xi Qingyue patted her head with a smile. “Mm. Big Sister will bathe first, then I’ll explain the pictures to you.”
Xi Weilan beamed with joy. She could mostly figure out the pictures on her own, but some parts were confusing. At the promise of an explanation, she scrambled back onto the bed.
The next day, Xi Qingyue rose early, before dawn.
She mounted her purple electric bike, set it to the highest speed, and sped off. It moved so fast that people on the roadside barely caught a glimpse of a blur before it vanished.
She rode for an hour straight until sparse figures gradually appeared on the road—refugees beginning their day’s trek. Only then did she stop and find a place to rest.
In that hour, she had covered over a hundred li. By mule cart, the same distance would have taken three or four days. The speed saved her a lot of trouble.
At least there were far fewer people trying to rob her. Otherwise, she’d have been killing all along the road.
Xi Qingyue returned to the space and after tidying up with Xi Weilan, the two of them drove the mule cart slowly out from a small path.
