"Don't waste your energy. This is the Joyful Powder from Misty Rain Pavilion. Consider yourselves lucky to enjoy it today."
Feng Sheng narrowed his eyes with a smirk, scanning the terrified women around him. Their genuine fear fed the dark pleasure in his heart.
But his smile soon faded.
An anomaly had caught his attention.
In the farthest corner of the bed, a woman sat with an indifferent expression, watching the scene unfold like an outsider—whether feigning composure or not, it didn’t matter. She had successfully piqued his interest.
"Seems we have an interesting one today," Feng Sheng mused, staring at her for a long moment before asking across the distance, "Which household sent you?"
Jiu Yue had been mentally rehearsing her assassination plan when the question snapped her back. She met his gaze briefly before lowering her eyes, her tone detached.
"Your Excellency, I was sent by Prince Ping."
Well, aside from Sima Qing, Prince Ping was the only name she knew—she certainly couldn’t admit she was sent by Sima Qing!
"Prince Ping?" Feng Sheng’s eyebrows shot up. He stroked his chin, studying her before finally grinning. "Come here."
Jiu Yue stepped forward silently.
She thought this might be her chance to close the distance, but when she was still two meters away, Feng Sheng suddenly lunged.
Naked as the day he was born, he sprang onto the bed, his hand clawing toward her throat.
This old bastard dared strike first?!
Jiu Yue’s eyes sharpened. She flicked her wrist as if scattering something. Feng Sheng instinctively shut his eyes.
Nothing happened.
By the time he reopened them, Jiu Yue had already leaped off the bed.
Realizing he’d been tricked, Feng Sheng let out a cold laugh, his gaze dripping with scorn. "How thoughtful of Prince Ping. It’s barely been a few days, and he’s already so eager to send someone after me. How… disappointing."
Jiu Yue had no idea what he was rambling about.
Right now, her eyes burned with outrage. "You shameless old eunuch! Daring to pollute my sight! Pah! A useless wretch like you should’ve offed yourself—it’d be the most dignified way to go. Need a hand?"
Feng Sheng’s face twisted.
As a eunuch, those two words were the last thing he wanted to hear!
"Brat, you’ve got no idea who you’re dealing with!" Feng Sheng snatched a robe from the rack to cover himself before charging at Jiu Yue, his palm strike unnaturally fierce for a man his age.
Turns out, Feng Sheng himself was the true martial arts master—not those maids.
Luckily, Jiu Yue never underestimated her opponents. She barely dodged his strike, flipping backward while kicking a nearby shelf into his path.
Feng Sheng shattered it with a single chop.
"Not bad for an old eunuch," Jiu Yue taunted, bouncing around the room. "You just turned fifty, right?"
Feng Sheng nearly choked. "You little—! Let’s see if you can still talk after this!"
He was barely thirty, in the prime of his life!
Furious, he chased Jiu Yue around the room.
The women on the bed huddled together, too scared to move. One had tried to escape earlier, but the fight had sent a broken shelf crashing onto her head, knocking her out.
Now, anyone who fell risked being trampled underfoot.
The group exchanged glances.
Better stay put.
At least the bed was relatively safe.
They watched, mesmerized, as the two clashed.
Jiu Yue didn’t evade forever. After a dozen exchanges, she’d figured out Feng Sheng’s style—the Cloud-Severing Palm.
Mastered, a single strike could sever tendons. Without immediate treatment from a miracle physician, the victim would be crippled for life.
Trying to cripple her? Vicious. Absolutely vicious.
Her expression darkened. Abruptly changing direction, she charged straight at Feng Sheng.
Without weapons, he had no advantage—just his palm strikes. And those? Easy to dodge.
Feng Sheng had been ready to deliver a killing blow, but Jiu Yue’s sudden counterattack threw him off. For a split second, he faltered.
Then he saw her fist swinging toward him and smirked.
Foolish.
She was delivering herself to him!
He struck out, aiming to shatter her wrist tendons on impact.
But reality had other plans.
Jiu Yue’s fist never landed.
Instead, her leg—previously unnoticed—lashed out.
If it connected, Feng Sheng would spend the rest of his days crawling.
His eyelids twitched. He barely blocked the kick, only for her fist to finally strike.
The tables had turned.
Jiu Yue grinned. The best defense was offense. With Feng Sheng unable to attack, she had the upper hand.
Just as she was about to corner him for the kill, Feng Sheng’s lips curled into a sinister smile.
A hidden arrow shot from behind her.
Jiu Yue scowled, retreating. When she looked up, Feng Sheng leaned against the wall—where a hidden mechanism lay.
...
The commotion inside hadn’t drawn any guards—because Qiu Dongfang, Mo Jin, and Fu Yu had already neutralized them.
"Jiu Yue won’t last much longer. We need to move," Qiu Dongfang urged, leading the way.
Mo Jin and Fu Yu followed swiftly.
In pure combat, Feng Sheng was on par with Mo Jin. But his true danger lay in his underhanded tricks—especially in his private residence, riddled with traps. All three had fallen victim before, which was why Qiu Dongfang had prepared so thoroughly today.
And Jiu Yue had infiltrated passively, likely already ensnared in the carriage!
Qiu Dongfang quickened his pace. Behind him, Mo Jin muttered, "If he escapes… we shouldn’t pursue. Prince Ping wants him dead, but if he flees, the Emperor’s men will handle it. He won’t survive either way."
Fu Yu nodded. "His estate must hold incriminating evidence. The Emperor won’t spare him."
Yet when they arrived, they found the women huddled together, trembling.
The room was in shambles—walls and beams scarred by hidden weapons, evidence of a brutal fight.
Mo Jin scanned the area. No Feng Sheng. No Jiu Yue.
Qiu Dongfang grabbed one of the women. "Where are they?"
The woman pointed shakily at a corner mechanism. "The warrior woman… Feng Sheng forced her into a secret chamber. He said she’d never get out."
Qiu Dongfang froze.
Mo Jin pressed, "And Feng Sheng?"
"That female warrior desperately dragged him in as well, and now both of them are trapped inside."
The trio: "..."
