Chapter 167: Eyes

The shop Lin Hao frequented was located at the entrance of an alleyway. Although the storefront was small, the various snacks there tasted exceptionally good.

The carriage pulled up to the roadside. She led Baozhu toward it, only to see a queue stretching out the door.

"Miss, please wait here. This servant will go line up."

Lin Hao nodded, standing to one side while thinking about the headless female corpse.

A headless female corpse, and it had happened at Tianyuan Temple, a place frequently visited by wealthy families; the impact was undoubtedly severe. Aside from the upcoming envoys from Yu Liu, the topic of public discussion would likely be this incident.

Lin Hao was not optimistic about identifying the woman's identity.

She had been dead for so long, and with her head missing, it would be difficult to leave any clues.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.

She turned her gaze toward the people chatting while waiting in line. The leisurely and lively atmosphere allowed her to withdraw her thoughts, and her mood relaxed slightly.

Just then, the neighing of a horse rang out, abrupt and shrill.

People instinctively looked over, their expressions changing one after another.

"Oh no, the horse is spooked!"

Lin Hao's expression changed as well.

The frightened horse belonged to her family!

The horse, with its front hooves raised high, soon began to gallop wildly, carrying away the coachman who was desperately trying to control it.

"Miss!" Baozhu rushed to Lin Hao's side.

There was no time to worry about buying snacks; Lin Hao led Baozhu toward the direction the horse was racing.

A spooked horse galloping through the streets could easily collide with people, potentially causing fatalities. Lin Hao's heart hung high in her throat as she walked faster and faster.

But a strange feeling suddenly rose in her heart.

Perhaps it was an inexplicable intuition, but she cast a quick glance in a certain direction.

That single glance felt like a heavy hammer striking her heart.

Du Qing!

Lin Hao reacted instantly: Du Qing had grown suspicious of her and had come to cause trouble.

The attention of the people on the street was drawn away by the spooked horse. Some were chasing after it, some were discussing it loudly, and there were occasional screams; it was as noisy as a wet market.

Given the distance between her and Du Qing, she would be cornered after at most two shouts. Calling for help in such chaos would be difficult to attract anyone's attention.

And even if someone noticed, the thought of that person having a warm heart and skills superior to Du Qing's was enough to induce despair.

Lin Hao never placed her hopes on vague luck.

"Baozhu—"

Lin Hao had this confidence: no matter how chaotic the scene, Baozhu would hear her call.

Sure enough, Baozhu, who was focused on chasing the horse, turned her head, her voice filled with confusion: "Miss?"

"Go find the Prince Jing's Heir!" Lin Hao gave a hurried instruction and bolted in one direction.

As luck would have it, this place was not far from the eatery she co-owned with the Prince Jing's Heir. She couldn't beat Du Qing in a fight, but she had a chance if she ran. As long as she reached the eatery, she could hold out for a while.

Lin Hao's first instinct to seek help from Qi Shuo was based on the belief that, given his intelligence, he would be able to guess where she was fleeing.

In her view, even if the Prince Jing's Heir couldn't beat Du Qing, he had subordinates.

Baozhu froze for a moment, only to see a man chasing after Lin Hao.

Her expression changed drastically: "Miss!"

The girl, hearing this panicked cry, did not look back but instead ran even faster.

Baozhu instinctively lifted her feet to give chase, but after two steps, she stopped abruptly.

The Miss must have a reason for telling her to find the Prince Jing's Heir; if she blindly chased after him, she might end up harming her Miss!

Baozhu turned and ran, crying as she went.

*Miss, please wait for this servant to bring the Prince Jing's Heir back!*

Lin Hao rushed into an alleyway.

The alley was long and narrow. Compared to the brightness of the street, the interior was suddenly dim, as if it were two different worlds.

By cutting through the alley, the distance to the eatery would be significantly shortened; Lin Hao had no choice but to take this shortcut.

Behind her were hurried but steady footsteps; ahead, the light was drawing closer. But just then, an accident occurred—Lin Hao's foot slipped, and she fell to the ground.

There was a broken small jar by her feet; she had just slipped because she stepped on it.

Lin Hao turned her head to look.

In the dim alley, Du Qing's face appeared blurred and indistinct.

Fear, like a cold current, surged through her limbs and bones.

Lin Hao knew very well that Du Qing was not the person who had taken her life in her previous life, but this scene was so similar that she hallucinated, thinking she had returned to that street deep in the night and deep in the snow.

The only difference was that the masked man who had left her puzzled to this day would not appear, right?

Countless thoughts flashed through Lin Hao's mind in an instant, when she suddenly heard a different set of footsteps.

She saw Du Qing raise his eyes, his gaze passing over her to land ahead.

Lin Hao instinctively turned her head and saw a person striding toward her from the direction she had just desperately run toward.

That figure was tall and upright. Although his face was not yet clear, Lin Hao recognized him at a glance as Qi Shuo.

But as he drew closer and she saw his handsome features, Lin Hao felt that the face she knew all too well had become strange.

Why had the Prince Jing's Heir arrived so quickly?

How could it be the Prince Jing's Heir?

Disordered thoughts clashed in her mind, making her momentarily forget to react, until the sound of a clash rang out.

It was the sound of metal striking metal.

Du Qing held a dagger, and Qi Shuo also held a dagger; these were the most convenient lethal weapons for concealment.

Lin Hao never imagined that when the Prince Jing's Heir and Du Qing engaged in combat, he would not fall into a disadvantage.

Was this truly the Prince Jing's Heir she knew?

No, had she truly ever known the Prince Jing's Heir?

A piercing pain came from her ankle, but Lin Hao still used the wall to pull herself up bit by bit.

The wall was cold and hard, which instead helped her regain her senses.

Now was not the time for such thoughts.

Lin Hao stared intently at the two combatants, judging the outcome.

If the Prince Jing's Heir fell into a disadvantage, she would run without hesitation to find help.

Lin Hao had trained seriously under Old General Lin; compared to an expert like Du Qing, her skills could only be considered mediocre, but her eyesight was quite good.

After observing for a moment, she felt slightly relieved.

The Prince Jing's Heir held the upper hand.

The Prince Jing's Heir actually held the upper hand!

Leaning against the wall, Lin Hao slowly moved forward.

Since the Prince Jing's Heir held the upper hand, she could walk more slowly.

A voice came from ahead: "Heir!"

Qi Shuo swung his dagger and gave a cold command: "Do not interfere."

The guard standing at the mouth of the alley ceased his movement.

Lin Hao was completely relieved and stopped walking.

Even if one holds the upper hand, accidents can happen, but with guards present, there was no need to worry.

She redirected her attention back to the two fighting.

At that moment, the winner was decided.

The dagger in Qi Shuo's hand was held against Du Qing's neck, and his voice was cold and sharp: "Why were you chasing her?"

Du Qing glanced at Lin Hao, his voice somewhat hoarse from the intense struggle: "I was merely passing by; this lady has misunderstood."

Qi Shuo also looked toward Lin Hao.

He knew that Lin Hao was somewhat different regarding this man.

To his surprise, Lin Hao did not look at Du Qing, but instead stared fixedly at him.

Sensing something was amiss, Qi Shuo raised his voice: "Xuan Yi, take him away first."

Soon, a young guard approached and led away the subdued Du Qing.

Qi Shuo looked at the dazed young woman and asked, "What is wrong?"

After a brief yet long stagnation, Lin Hao reached out a trembling hand and gently covered the area just below Qi Shuo's eyes.

(End of Chapter)