The night was quiet.
The sound of wind slapping the leaves could be heard occasionally. The temperature was cold but not freezing. Some servants were still awake to do their work, but most of them had already left to the dreamland.
Wei Liuying sat on top of the tree calmly. She leaned on the main branch and closed her eyes, resting. Even though she had been living a life that was not ideal, she was glad that she had learned martial arts. That way, she would be able to protect herself when it was necessary.
Swish!
The faint movement of the wind woke her up. Wei Liuying didn't move from her position, but her eyes were directed to Wei Xiao Hua's quarter as a black shadow sneaked in to that fortress.
'Foolish.'
Inside Wei Xiao Hua's quarter, Wei Xiao Hua was startled awake. She sat down on her bed and looked outside coldly. Her small mouth muttered out, "Lou."
"Yes, Miss."
There was the sound of faint rustling not far from her room and Wei Xiao Hua draped a robe on herself as fast as possible. She had just finished changing her clothes when Lou returned with a man on his shoulder.
Lou was the guard that Prince Ji Shu sent to protect her. He was actually Prince Ji Shu's guard and had been staying with him for a long time. It was only recently that Lou was tasked to protect Wei Xiao Hua at night time since Prince Ji Shu would be making some big moves.
"An assassin?" Wei Xiao Hua asked calmly.
Lou nodded. "Yes, Miss."
Thud!
He placed the man on the ground roughly. The assassin was wearing dark clothes and also covering his face with a cloth. However, from the way he winced and moved, Wei Xiao Hua could guess that Lou had already given him a thorough beating to make sure that he couldn't make any unnecessary movement.
This was very convenient.
"So, mind telling me who's hiring you?" Wei Xiao Hua asked in a light tone. She was very calm, as if an assassin had never come to find her.
The assassin glared at her, but he refused to answer.
Wei Xiao Hua was amused, but she didn't find it strange. It would be weirder if the assassin was willing to speak in the first place. She took out a needle from her sleeve. Even though she was not a doctor, she knew that getting pierced by needle would be hurt, especially if it was the accupoint or the nerve.
"Well then, let me play with you."
Play?
Both the assassin and Lou didn't understand, but Wei Xiao Hua crouched down and began to stab the assassin using the long needle. It was supposed to be a needle used for medication, but in Wei Xiao Hua's hand, it had turned into a deadly weapon. Though, it was mostly she randomly pierced in.
The needle was fairly long, so it could pierce deeply. Wei Xiao Hua's attention was on the assassin's hand. She still could remember back in her 'previous life,' she was once hospitalized and the nurse couldn't even pierce infuse needle properly. It caused pain and there was a shift in her nerve, causing her finger to feel pain every time a point was touched.
This time, she was trying it on the assassin.
Not long afterwards, the assassin began to sweat. The needle was very unprofessional, but Wei Xiao Hua seemed to be able to prick him where it hurts. Before long, he could feel that his finger began to twitch.
"I wonder if you can even use your hand after I'm done," Wei Xiao Hua said with a smile.
The assassin was screaming internally in fear. Even though Wei Xiao Hua was a beauty, the smile looked more like a devil smile. He didn't know since when his body began to tremble in fear.
Wei Xiao Hua looked at the assassin and stopped, leaving the needle stuck on his arm. "Is it Wei Liuying?"
The assassin gave no reaction aside from glaring at her.
"Wei Zilin?"
This time, there was trace of worry inside the assassin's eyes, but he still didn't answer anything. Wei Xiao Hua was also not in a hurry, but she had seen his reaction just now. Even though it must be unintentional, it was still showing the truth.
"Heh, it seems that I have neglected my Second Sister too much that she comes to give me a big present," Wei Xiao Hua said with a bright smile. "It'll be impolite of me to not give her back another present as a sign of gratitude."
The assassin's back was filled with sweat. He had the feeling that whatever Wei Xiao Hua was planning would be something really bad.
On the side, Lou was watching everything unfolded quietly. He didn't have any intention to interfere because Prince Ji Shu had told him to leave everything in Wei Xiao Hua's hand. This was his first time seeing Wei Xiao Hua was not hesitant to use whatever card she had.
Her cruelty and decisiveness matched Prince Ji Shu well.
It was good. His Highness Prince Ji Shu didn't need someone weak by his side. He only needed the best one.
Wei Xiao Hua stretched her body. "Well, have you finished investigating his background, Lou?"
Lou raised his head and waved his arm. Another man appeared from the darkness and saluted. "Miss, this assassin's name is Zheng Guo. He's a guard from a merchant family that's in the verge of bankruptcy. There are several people in the merchant family…."
As the man reported his family condition, the assassin was terrified. He struggled to break free but Lou moved quickly. He gagged Zheng Guo and pressed him on the ground to prevent him from moving about.
"That's interesting," Wei Xiao Hua remarked while rubbing her chin. She looked at Zheng Guo. "If the merchant family is wiped out, I wonder if it'll do you a favor, Zheng Guo?"
Mmph!
Zheng Guo was thoroughly panicked by now. He was looking at Wei Xiao Hua's direction with pleading expression. It was clear that he couldn't bear with the thought of harm coming to his family. Everyone always have someone whom they cared about, which would be their Achilles heel.*
"However, I can release you."
Zheng Guo's eyes lit up. He was looking at Wei Xiao Hua with eyes filled in anticipation, fearing that he might miss a word that she was about to say.
"If you change the target to my Third Sister, Wei Liuying, I'll release you."
Zheng Guo nodded vehemently.
Wei Xiao Hua looked at Lou. "Release him."
Lou did as she said and released Zheng Guo. Upon getting released, Zheng Guo bowed down to Wei Xiao Hua. "I'll do as you say, Miss."
Afterwards, the assassin disappeared from his place. Wei Xiao Hua didn't have martial arts, so naturally, she didn't know where he went. She only glanced at Lou with her hands crossed.
"Shall we wait for an interesting performance?"
Lou passed a glance at Wei Xiao Hua before averting his eyes once more. He felt that Wei Xiao Hua's confidence had been growing more and more lately. From the way it looked like, she was so witty to the point that it was impossible to scheme against her. Everything that occurred was in her favor.
"Do you think he'll do as you say, Miss."
"He will. Unless he thought that Prince Ji Shu didn't have any power, he'll not even think of running away," Wei Xiao Hua replied with a smile.
Lou nodded in understanding. The other man that Lou called was back in his hiding place and Wei Xiao Hua walked to the window. She could see a faint black silhouette making his way in the darkness.
Suddenly, there was a dull thud sound.
"What's that?" Wei Xiao Hua asked with a frown.
"I'll check."
Lou disappeared and reappeared quickly. He looked at Wei Xiao Hua. "There was someone who shot him down. Zheng Guo is dead."
"He died?" Wei Xiao Hua used stunned expression. She shook her head lightly. "Probably there's someone else who's watching him. Let it be. Tomorrow will be quite hectic."
"Yes, Miss."
Wei Xiao Hua had already calmed down by the time she went to bed. Someone watching? Obviously it was Wei Liuying. The only person in this residence who could possibly kill the assassin with an arrow would be Wei Liuying, who had learned a bit of martial arts.
The book mentioned this when it was near Wei Liuying's bitter end arc, so she knew.
She was not worried. When Wei Hong returned back tomorrow, Wei Liuying would never have a chance to get out and will walk on her own two legs to her doom.
…
Shrouded in the darkness, Wei Liuying was still sitting on the tree. Her black eyes looked at the dead assassin on the ground not far from Wei Zilin's quarter. Their quarter was placed so that it was in sequence with their age. Because of that, if the assassin wished to head to Wei Liuying's quarter, he had to pass by Wei Zilin's quarter.
Wei Liuying raised her head. "Even if I did nothing, my existence alone is a hindrance, huh?"