Jiu Yue wasn’t afraid of death.
She could heal herself, after all.
The moment the opponent withdrew his whip, Jiu Yue lunged forward like the wind.
The whip coiled around the broadsword, and Jiu Yue’s fist was already in his face.
A muffled grunt sounded as the man was sent flying like a kite with its string cut.
Jiu Yue retracted her leg, patted her butt, and retrieved her broadsword—along with the enemy’s whip.
The man spat out a mess of censored content, struggling to get up—
Crack!
His own whip lashed against his backside.
The man: "…"
Jiu Yue: "…"
Her eyelid twitched as she grabbed the whip and bolted.
Holy hell, I swear I didn’t mean to do that! I was aiming for his legs! But she’d put too much force into it and ended up whipping his butt instead.
Oh well. Hopefully, Whip Guy would be too busy picking up his shattered dignity to chase her.
From the moment they were discovered, Whip Guy had sent out a signal. No sooner had Jiu Yue fled than the other shadow guards arrived.
The fight had taken place in a secluded spot near an abandoned palace, and if not for the sound of the whip, the guards would’ve taken much longer to find them.
But now that they had… it didn’t seem to matter.
No assassin in sight—just a man crouched in the corner, clutching his butt in humiliation.
One guard stepped forward, frowning. "Why aren’t you chasing?"
The man rose with gritted teeth. "I need to go change my pants first."
Another guard blinked. "Where’s your whip?"
The man completely lost it. With a choked sob, he vanished into the night.
……
Jiu Yue felt no guilt. So what if she’d torn his pants? Her own clothes had been shredded into rags too!
By now, she’d run so far in no particular direction that when she finally stopped, she held her breath, listening carefully before relaxing. Just as she was about to take a deep breath—
Gag. Her face twisted.
The air was filled with a lovely fragrance.
Frowning, she looked around and realized she’d stumbled upon the palace servants’ dumping ground for chamber pots.
"…" She pinched her nose shut again, tearing off a strip of cloth from her ruined clothes to stuff into her nostrils. She turned to leave—then paused, eyes lighting up.
Her mission was to kill a dog.
Dogs eat… waste.
Where there’s waste, there are dogs.
Ha! Easy pickings!
With renewed determination, Jiu Yue turned back and marched straight toward the foulest stench.
It didn’t take long before she heard barking.
Proud of her own brilliance, she swaggered toward the sound.
As the barks grew clearer, so did the voices of several servants—mocking someone.
"Idiot, still waiting for your mother? She’s long dead, hahaha…"
"Unfair, isn’t it? How does a fool like you get born into such a good family?"
"What’s unfair? Now she’s just a plaything for us. Hahaha!"
"True, true. No blessings for the stupid… Last time she dared to complain about my stench. Quick, dump that whole bucket on her and lock her in with the vicious dog!"
"Help me with this—it’s heavy…"
The two laughed cruelly, oblivious to the shadow that had appeared behind them.
Jiu Yue saw the "idiot" they were tormenting—a grimy little girl.
And the girl had already noticed her.
But she didn’t react, just stared quietly.
Jiu Yue raised a brow, impressed.
Idiot? She’s sharp as a tack.
The barking came from inside a nearby building. As the two servants moved to carry out their vile plan, Jiu Yue chuckled and knocked them out cold with two swift strikes.
Clang! The chamber pot hit the ground. Jiu Yue leaped back, dragging the girl with her.
They stayed clean.
The two unconscious servants? Not so lucky.
Ignoring them, Jiu Yue carried the girl into the room with the vicious dog.
Unchained, the dog bared its fangs and lunged the moment she entered.
Its fur was matted with filth, eyes bloodshot, drool dripping from its jaws.
Truly ferocious.
But to Jiu Yue, it was just a target.
A flash of her blade, and the beast collapsed in a heap of censored remains.
Only then did she set the girl down, belatedly covering her eyes. "Don’t worry," she lied smoothly. "The big doggy’s just sleeping."
But the girl clung to her hand instead.
Despite the warm, almost-summer air, her fingers were icy.
Jiu Yue frowned, meeting the girl’s dark, grape-like eyes.
The girl sniffled. "Smells nice."
Jiu Yue: "…"
Poor kid. Her nose must be ruined from all this stench.
But then the girl added, "Xue’er likes oranges. Oranges smell nice."
Oranges?
Jiu Yue paused, remembering something. She crouched, fishing out a small orange from her pocket and placing it in Xue’er’s hands.
"Sharp nose," she remarked. The orange had been a gift from children she’d given candy to earlier.
Xue’er seemed stunned, cradling the fruit like treasure.
Who is this kid?
Though filthy, her clothes were made of fine fabric. Jiu Yue guessed she might be some neglected noble child in the palace, left to the mercy of cruel servants.
"Where do you live?" she asked.
Xue’er clutched the orange carefully. "Ahead. Lots of grass."
Jiu Yue recalled the abandoned palace up ahead.
Grabbing the girl by the collar, she swiftly carried her back.
The few servants in the abandoned palace were already asleep—and from their faces alone, Jiu Yue could tell they were rotten.
Casually, she dragged the dog’s corpse around the servants’ quarters a few times.
Xue’er watched from the side.
Jiu Yue hesitated but ultimately said nothing, slipping away unnoticed with the carcass.
3:15 AM.
Mo Jin and Fu Yu waited patiently.
Just as Mo Jin began to wonder why the palace was still silent, a figure dropped lightly from the top of the wall.
With a thud, Jiu Yue wiped her brow and finally caught her breath.
"Oh, it’s you?" She blinked at Mo Jin’s dumbfounded face. "Were you waiting for me?"
Is my rude coworker secretly a softie?
Mo Jin: "…"
Instead of answering, he pointed at the shadowy lump at his feet. "What’s this?"
Jiu Yue dusted herself off—the stench of chamber pots clung stubbornly—and answered casually, "A dog. Weren’t we supposed to eliminate one?"
Mo Jin: "…"
It was a dog. Just… not the right dog.
