Chapter 19: The Young Lady Has a Way

Mo Zheng's consciousness drifted aimlessly; his surroundings fluctuated between cacophony and silence.

Before collapsing, he had covered his nose and mouth with his hand.

His cuffs, pre-treated with medicine, emitted a pungent, heavy scent.

He bit down on the cuff, allowing the residual medicinal powder to slide into his mouth.

It made him gag.

But it also kept his consciousness sharp.

He could hear Yang Luo’s shrill voice, followed by the sound of disorganized footsteps approaching.

He struggled to stand up.

"A-Sheng, don't move, don't move," Yang Luo’s voice came, followed by a pair of hands pressing against his shoulders. "We can go back to the inn now."

They could go back to the inn.

"Don't let them help me," Mo Zheng said forcefully.

Yang Luo supported him.

"I'll help you, I'll help you," she said loudly, then barked at the approaching officials, "Don't touch him!"

Mo Zheng heard Wei Jiao give a light chuckle. "A thing like a dog, yet quite fierce."

Borrowing Yang Luo's strength, he stood up unsteadily. Because of the exertion, the pain from his wounds flared more violently.

This was for the best; pain could also keep one's mind clear.

Yang Luo half-supported and half-dragged the hunter youth toward the inn. The inn, which had originally seemed somewhat small, felt exceptionally long to walk during this journey. By the time they finally returned to the room, the hunter youth was almost entirely stained red with blood.

Yang Luo hurriedly tried to undress him and called for a physician.

The hunter youth, however, pressed his hands against his clothes.

"I'll do it myself," he said weakly.

Yang Luo stamped her foot. "Even in a situation like this, you're still worried about propriety between men and women!"

The hunter youth seemed to lack the strength to speak, but he held his clothes firmly to prevent anyone from touching them.

"I have medicine," he said simply. "I can stop the bleeding myself."

Yang Luo had no choice but to abandon her attempt to undress him and rushed to find the medicine. She knew the youth had prepared plenty of medicine in advance for the journey, and he was also skilled at treating his own wounds—a necessary skill for a hunter.

Sure enough, a pile of medicine was found inside the bundle sitting on the table, and she gathered it all toward him.

"Which one should I use?"

Mo Zheng first grabbed a small porcelain vial, poured the small pills into his mouth, and swallowed while speaking indistinctly, "I'll do it... you..."

He looked at Yang Luo, a look of guilt surfacing on his pale face.

"It is my incompetence. I failed to protect you and allowed your identity to be exposed."

This girl had intended to hide her identity, which was why she had hired him as a guard. He hadn't expected that they would be exposed before the journey had even truly begun.

Yang Luo said, "I hid my identity to save my life. I almost died just now; what's the point of hiding anymore?"

Mo Zheng shook his head. "You said before that the people trying to kill you are in collusion with the government..."

He was still worried, still feeling guilty. Yang Luo smiled. "It's fine. I have my own ways."

*Other ways?* The hunter youth looked at her suspiciously.

Yang Luo stamped her foot. "Don't worry about that. Just stop the bleeding quickly."

In the midst of their conversation, the blood dripping from the youth's feet had already formed a pool.

"You know it's dangerous ahead, so hurry and recover from your injuries." Yang Luo no longer insisted on undressing him to apply medicine; she turned to walk out. "You are injured now, so it is my turn to protect you. Hurry and use the medicine."

Mo Zheng gave a heavy "Mm" from behind, watching Yang Luo walk out.

As the door closed, the guilt and gravity on his face vanished. The corners of his mouth curled slightly as he lowered his gaze.

"Thank you for your protection, Miss."

...

...

"A young lady from the Duke of Ding'an's manor?"

Wei Jiao had just finished eating and was wiping his mouth with a silk handkerchief.

Yang Luo was also stealing glances at him. She wondered what he had eaten; his lips were a vivid red, making his skin appear even more tender and white, and the slight upward tilt of his eyes gave him a natural, smiling expression.

Wei Jiao raised his eyes to look at her.

However, the smile in his eyes was like shards of ice.

Yang Luo quickly averted her gaze.

He was handsome, no wonder the princesses fought over him, but he was also truly terrifying—not just the chill in his eyes, but the brutality of a man who would kill without hesitation.

"Which lady is it?" Wei Jiao asked, smiling again. "Make it a good lie. You only have one chance."

As he spoke, he twirled his finger.

From the corner of her eye, Yang Luo saw a small, snake-like sword spinning around his finger, shimmering with a blue light.

"Actually, I am not technically a lady of the Duke of Ding'an's household," she said.

As her words fell, she saw the happily spinning snake-sword come to a halt...

"I am the niece of the Duchess of Ding'an. My surname is Yuan. My mother is the Duchess's biological younger sister, married into the Yuan family of Tengzhou..." Yang Luo blurted it all out in one breath, only stopping to catch her breath when she nearly suffocated.

The small sword in Wei Jiao's hand slowly completed a rotation.

Yang Luo took a deep breath and continued, "Yang Bin, the Duke of Ding'an, is my uncle by marriage. Ren Xiulan, the Duchess, is my aunt. My eldest cousin is named Yang Shanshu, and my younger cousin is named Yang Hui."

Wei Jiao looked at her and smiled. "You've memorized it quite thoroughly."

His smile was unsettling, making Yang Luo feel uneasy as her eyes darted around.

"If you can't lie, don't lie," Wei Jiao said with a look of disdain. "It makes you look quite stupid."

Yang Luo felt a surge of shame and anger. "I am not lying... I am just... it is inconvenient to reveal my true identity..."

Wei Jiao raised an eyebrow. "Why is it inconvenient? Is the Duke of Ding'an's identity something to be ashamed of, or is it the Yuan family of Tengzhou?"

He was incredibly blunt. Yang Luo couldn't help but glare at him, momentarily unsure how to respond.

A command to stop came from behind her. "Halt."

Yang Luo instinctively turned her head and saw Mo Zheng approaching.

The youth had changed his clothes. The thickness of the bandages was visible on his arms and back, suggesting he had applied medicine, but blood was still seeping through as he walked. He was clearly exhausted, yet he still gripped a blade in his hand.

He seemed unable to hear the command from the surrounding Imperial Guards; he only looked at Yang Luo, walking toward her step by step.

*This child is too honest,* she thought. *Even in this state, he is struggling to come and protect her.*

"A-Sheng!" Yang Luo called out hurriedly. "Stay where you are, don't move. I'm fine, I'm just explaining things to Commander Wei."

Mo Zheng stopped in his tracks, but his gaze remained fixed on Wei Jiao.

Wei Jiao looked at the youth and found it somewhat amusing.

"Acting like a loyal dog," he remarked.

Yang Luo didn't want to hear any more from him. She took a step forward. "It is my actions that are shameful."

She clenched her hands in front of her, seemingly using all her strength.

"I ran away from home. I am eloping. My parents arranged a marriage for me that I do not want, and I am going to seek refuge with my aunt."

"My family must be searching everywhere for me. I am afraid of being caught and taken back."

She covered her face with her hands, and tears began to flow.

"I beg you, please do not hand me over to the government."

"Otherwise, I will have no choice but to die."

After saying this, the girl burst into loud sobs.

At that moment, an Imperial Guard ran in from the street.

"Commander," he approached Wei Jiao and whispered, "Old Madam Li has confessed."

Wei Jiao let out a scoff. "How boring. Why didn't she just hold out until the end?"

He turned his gaze toward the hunter youth standing over there. Seeing the girl cry, the youth, who had been standing obediently, attempted to step forward again. The guards' blades pressed against his chest, and blood began to seep from his front.

Wei Jiao clicked his tongue in admiration. "What a good dog."

With that, he stood up and walked away unsteadily.

Yang Luo remained where she was, covering her face. Hearing the footsteps fade, she peeked through the gaps in her fingers and saw that Wei Jiao had left, and the guards had followed.

"Miss," Mo Zheng said softly, leaning on a bamboo staff as he finally reached her side. "Is it over?"

Yang Luo raised her hand to wipe her tears.

She had indeed lied just now, but everything she said was based on truth.

In that previous life, at the same time she entered the capital, the Duchess's niece was also on her way to the capital to elope.

That Miss Yuan had been very lucky to hide her identity and reach the Duke of Ding'an's manor, but she was also very unlucky; her aunt could not rescue her and instead tricked her into being loaded into a carriage to be sent back home.

After that, there was no news of Miss Yuan again.

This was enough.

If Wei Jiao went to the Yuan family to investigate, the fact that Miss Yuan had run away would be undeniably true.

Having presented herself as a relative of the Duke of Ding'an, Wei Jiao could no longer claim he would kill her and use her corpse for identification.

Furthermore, the fact that she knew the names of the people in the Duke's manor so accurately was proof enough that she wasn't merely making things up.

Wei Jiao's goal was to investigate rebels and criminals; he wouldn't truly obsess over her.

Yang Luo exhaled and said softly, "It should be fine now."

The hunter youth breathed a sigh of relief. "The Miss is truly capable. I wasn't able to help at all."

*Is he feeling ashamed?* Yang Luo smiled.

*Good, let him feel ashamed. Let him owe me, so that in the future, he can help me kill people.*

*Kill all those who harmed me!*