As that fleeting golden light vanished, something seemed to be trying to drill out from between Yang Ning's eyebrows. However, before that thing could emerge.
Yang Ning passed out from the excruciating pain.
Not only Yang Ning, but Li Yan was also on the verge of a breakdown.
He continuously beat his chest.
Tears fell from his tiger-like eyes as he let out low, mournful roars, "It's all my fault, it's my incompetence! Erlang, it's your brother-in-law's incompetence! Brother-in-law failed you! Ah! Wang Gou'er! Zheng Huaiyi! I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!!!"
Li Yan's injuries had not yet healed, and under his violent beating.
He coughed up blood once more.
Seeing the intense reactions of Li Yan and Yang Ning, the woman in the white dress understood that the young man who had entrusted her to deliver the silver had a very deep connection with them.
Recalling the calm look in Yang An's eyes when they parted.
The woman in the white dress flicked her finger.
Striking Li Yan's acupoints from a distance, rendering him unable to move.
Then, with a gentle wave of her plain hand.
She summoned a soft breeze that lifted the unconscious Yang Ning from the floor and placed her gently back onto the bed.
Li Yan roared, "Let me go!"
The aloof and ethereal figure drifted over like snow.
The woman in the white dress said, "Let you go so you can continue committing suicide? Continue to trample on the future that young man bought for you with his own life? If so, then please, suit yourself." Saying this, with a wave of her hand, she lifted the seal on Li Yan's body.
But Li Yan could no longer bring himself to do it.
He clutched his head in agony and roared.
The woman in the white dress cast a glance at him. "That person saved my maidservant, I owe him a favor." She shot several streams of cold light through the air, which sank into Li Yan's legs.
That cold-colored light was incredibly extraordinary.
It traveled along the meridians in Li Yan's legs. While clearing the blocked pathways, it actually managed to reconnect the severed meridians.
In just a few moments.
The severed meridians in Li Yan's legs had all been reconnected, and they no longer felt painful or swollen.
"In two hours, you will be able to stand up again." Saying this, the woman in the white dress left a small jade plaque on the bedroom table. The plaque was made entirely of white jade, flawless as snow.
In the center, a perfectly carved character was inscribed: "Jiang" (姜).
She said, "My surname is Jiang. If the two of you encounter difficulties you cannot resolve in the future, you may take this plaque and find me at the Imperial Academy (Guozijian)."
Keke, clutching the jade flute, stood by her side and choked out through her sobs, "Even at the very end, big brother still thought about giving the silver to you. You must be the most important people to big brother. Please don't let big brother down, you must live on well."
After Keke finished speaking.
The woman surnamed Jiang figured this was enough to repay the favor she owed Yang An.
So she didn't linger at the Yang house any longer.
Taking Keke with her, she walked out of the room. As a gust of wind and snow blew past, the figures of the two vanished from the courtyard, as if they had never been there.
...
Time ticked by bit by bit.
It was approaching noon in Yunzhou City, and the wind and snow showed no signs of stopping.
At this moment, within Yunzhou City.
The news that Wang Gou'er, Zheng Huaiyi, and a dozen thugs had all died violently in the Wang Family Moneyhouse had already spread like wildfire.
Pedestrians, street vendors.
Even the storytellers in the teahouses were hotly debating the matter.
Wang Gou'er, relying on his moneyhouse.
Had committed evil deeds in Yunzhou City for years.
Zheng Huaiyi had also monopolized the market. Medicinal herbs that cost a thousand taels of silver at other pharmacies would be marked up four or five times at his place.
The two had long incurred public wrath.
However, because they had powerful backing, and moreover, had cultivated Divine Aspects and were ranked martial artists, the common people could do absolutely nothing against them.
Now that the two had died a violent death, the commoners all clapped their hands in cheer.
"Those two sons of bitches, those menaces are finally dead! The whole world celebrates!"
"The heavens took pity on us. Who knows which heroic martial artist did it, removing these two great plagues for our Yunzhou!"
"It's a pity the great hero didn't leave a name, we don't even know who to thank."
The great hero, the heroic martial artist on everyone's lips.
At this very moment, was lying inside Princess Anle's estate.
"Princess, after using the finest medicines, Young Master Yang's body has basically fully recovered. Not even a single scar remains on his body!"
The speaker was an old woman over fifty years old.
Wearing a grayish-white robe, she knelt respectfully outside the main hall.
Her name was Granny Qian.
She was the best physician in Princess Anle's estate.
Inside the main hall was a warm room laid with fluffy white animal skin rugs. Qin Guo'er reclined lazily on a soft chair.
A'lan attended by her side.
Carefully peeling and pitting lychees before offering them to her lips.
But Qin Guo'er didn't eat them.
Pinching a lychee, she tossed it into the mouth of Manman, who was drooling on the side. It was so sweet that Manman's large eyes crinkled into crescents.
Qin Guo'er wiped her small hands and said, "Is that so?"
"This old one naturally wouldn't dare deceive the Princess!" Granny Qian eagerly added, "Not only that, this old one discovered that Young Master Yang's foundation is incredibly solid, and his innate bone structure is one in ten thousand."
"He also recently had the fortune to consume an Earth Dragon Fruit, a spiritual item that strengthens the body!"
"This old one was worried about wasting the spiritual medicine's efficacy."
"So I formulated a few precious medicines for Young Master Yang to consume, helping him completely digest the Earth Dragon Fruit and allowing the medicinal power to seep into his body. After such a refinement, although Young Master Yang has never practiced martial arts, his physique is now comparable to an ordinary ninth-grade martial artist!"
Hearing this.
Qin Guo'er finally cast a glance at the old woman. "You have done well. Go back and collect your reward."
Granny Qian excitedly kowtowed and expressed her gratitude.
Just as she was about to rise and take her leave, she suddenly remembered something and hesitated before speaking, "Princess, regarding Young Master Yang, this old one has another matter... I do not know if I should say it."
"Speak plainly."
Granny Qian quoted the classics: "As the saying goes, 'Great perfection seems flawed, yet its usefulness is never exhausted. Great fullness seems empty, yet its usefulness is infinite. The sun shifts when it reaches the meridian; the moon wanes when it reaches its full...'"
Qin Guo'er frowned.
A'lan knew the Princess was growing impatient and coldly interrupted Granny Qian's lengthy speech.
"Speak human!"
The old woman hurriedly lowered her head, wiped the sweat from her brow, and said, "Young Master Yang's primal yang has not yet been released. And because his constitution is now far too robust, as the saying goes, things will develop in the opposite direction when they become extreme. If he does not find release for a long period of time, he may experience much restlessness..."
Before she could finish her sentence.
Whoosh!
The sound of tearing air struck, and a gleaming jade cup smashed into Granny Qian's head, knocking her over backward.
The tea in the cup also splashed all over Granny Qian.
A gash was split open on her forehead, bleeding profusely!
Qin Guo'er's cheeks flushed slightly, her phoenix eyes filled with murderous intent. "You loose-lipped thing! Who asked you about that? Get the hell out of this Princess's sight!"
"Yes, yes, yes, Princess!"
Granny Qian clutched her head and fled in a panic.
Once she was far away and out of sight, the pink tint on Qin Guo'er's face had still not faded. She snapped at A'lan, "Didn't the treasury receive a bolt of soft, smoky-black cotton recently?"
"This Princess dislikes that color; it'll just gather bugs if left sitting there."
"Take it and have a set of clothes tailored for that dog. Have two guards change him into it, and then carry him over here!"
The Princess was currently fuming.
Receiving the order, A'lan didn't utter half a word and immediately went to get it done.
The embroidery maidens in the Princess's estate possessed superb skills.
Coupled with their cultivation, the speed at which they sewed clothes was extremely fast.
In no time at all.
Yang An, dressed in the soft, smoky-black robe, was tossed in front of Qin Guo'er, lying sprawled on his back on the fluffy rug.
Princess Anle cast a glance over.
And saw that clothes make the man as a saddle makes the horse.
After changing into the exquisite, luxurious clothes, Yang An, who already had a good set of looks, appeared even more extraordinary. He was handsome but without a hint of effeminacy; instead, he exuded a heroic, chiseled masculinity.
On Yunling Mountain.
When Qin Guo'er saw Yang An for the first time, she had already thought he looked quite decent.
Now, seeing him in these clothes, she was even more satisfied.
As she hesitated.
A delicate, exquisite foot poked out from beneath her skirt, wrapped in a snow-white embroidered sock. It reached out little by little toward Yang An, finally tapping on the bridge of his nose, and then lightly stepping on it twice.
As expected, it's not very repulsive.
Qin Guo'er withdrew her foot and bantered with the female officials without batting an eye. "Look at this, 'clothes make the man as a saddle makes the horse,' the old saying is indeed true. After this little hunter changed his clothes, he looks more and more like a proper human being."
"He's lost that rustic wildness, and even gained a few hints of nobility."
"Those who don't know better might think he's the young master of some aristocratic family who fell among the commoners."
Qin Guo'er giggled enchanting.
The eight female officials—Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum—who had grown up with her since childhood, were her absolute confidantes, incomparable to ordinary palace maids. They also joined in the laughter.
Even Manman, who only cared about eating.
Curiously cast a glance at Yang An. She felt he was somewhat good-looking, but not as fragrant as the flatbread in her hand.
Losing interest, she happily continued gnawing on her flatbread.
Just as the female officials were joking and playing with Qin Guo'er, A'lan received a message from a palace maid. She stepped forward and reported, "Princess, regarding the information on this Young Master Yang, the subordinates have delivered it. Would you like to read it now?"
As long as one wasn't blind.
Anyone could see Princess Anle's special treatment of Yang An.
Although she didn't find Yang An very pleasing to the eye.
The quick-witted A'lan had still changed his title to "Young Master" (Langjun).
Qin Guo'er was very interested in Yang An.
She smiled sweetly and said, "Read it."
A'lan unrolled the long scroll and began reading: "Yang An, a native of Yunzhou, eighteen years of age. Orphaned since childhood, he depended on his older sister, Yang Ning, for survival. Eight years ago, after Yang Ning married Li Yan, Yang An lived with Li Yan."
"At age ten, he passed the county-level imperial examination (Tongsheng) and enjoyed some minor fame for his talent."
"However, he repeatedly failed subsequent examinations."
Hearing this, Qin Guo'er covered her cherry-pink, smooth lips and giggled enchantingly, "I couldn't tell he was a talented scholar."
What kind of talented scholar repeatedly fails exams?
A'lan grumbled internally, and continued reading. The spies' report was extremely detailed.
Even mundane details like his win-loss record fighting stray dogs in the neighborhood as a child.
How he almost got swept away by the river while taking other kids to catch fish.
Or how he cut a little girl's hair during his early schooling days.
None of these trivial matters were left out.
Qin Guo'er listened with great interest. Even after listening for quite a while, she didn't find it boring at all; instead, she grew increasingly cheerful.
Until A'lan read that Yang An had a fiancée.
Named Zhao Guizhen.
Qin Guo'er's fingertips, which were toying with her beautiful hair, paused slightly. An intriguing smile surfaced on her exquisite, radiant face. "Tell me more about this Zhao Guizhen in detail."
"Yes!"
A'lan continued reading, "Zhao Guizhen is the same age as Yang An. Her father, Zhao Bin, served in the Yunzhou army alongside Li Yan in his early years and made numerous military contributions."
"Especially during the siege of Qianhu City, where he was the first to scale the walls."
"Relying on these military merits, he now serves as the Inspecting Censor of the Yunzhou Salt and Iron Bureau. The marriage agreement between Zhao Guizhen and Yang An was settled by Zhao Bin and Li Yan while they were both in the Yunzhou army."
"Zhao Guizhen herself possesses considerable talent and is pursued by many young scholars in Yunzhou."
"Yang An is extremely infatuated with her."
Reading up to this point, A'lan suddenly felt a vile chill.
She heard a loud smack. Looking up, she saw that Princess Anle's foot, clad in a snow-white silk sock, was viciously stepping on Yang An's face, nearly flattening his nose.
Her eyes were filled with chilling coldness.
Qin Guo'er's expression fluctuated unpredictably, pondering whether she should just kill this dog.
Just as she was hesitating.
She heard A'lan continue reading: "However, Zhao Guizhen seems to hold no affection for Yang An. According to spy reports, in recent months, she has been interacting frequently with Cui Wenyan, the third son of the Yunzhou Inspector (Cishi)."
"And they may have already... engaged in illicit affairs."
Inside the grand hall, the pervasive chill instantly vanished.
Qin Guo'er laughed so hard she rocked back and forth. Lifting her foot, she tapped her fair, tender sole lightly against Yang An's cheek. "Oh my, oh my, he ran into a bad woman. How pitiful, giggle~"
Princess Anle grew even more cheerful.
She mischievously teased Yang An, "Hehehe, your fiancée ran off with someone else. Must be very heartbreaking, right? Very sad?"
The unconscious Yang An naturally couldn't answer her questions.
If he knew he was being so humiliated, stepped on beneath Qin Guo'er's foot, he would have jumped up and fought her to the death long ago.
After a good while.
Qin Guo'er finally suppressed her laughter and said, "Go on, how did he get covered in injuries earlier?"
"After Yang An learned of Zhao Guizhen's affair with another man, he was disheartened and drowned his sorrows in alcohol all day. When Li Yan went looking for him, he coincidentally encountered Lin Hao unleashing his beast to commit evil, and Li Yan was injured saving people."
"To save Li Yan, Yang An was scammed out of his money by Wang Gou'er, the boss of the Wang Family Moneyhouse, and the proprietor of Huichun Hall, who colluded to set a trap."
"Yesterday, Wang Gou'er went to their house again to beat and scold them."
"The spies speculate that Young Master Yang's injuries might have been caused by the gang of thugs at the Wang Family Moneyhouse."
Finished speaking.
The entire grand hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The smile on Qin Guo'er's face had completely vanished. Her calm voice slowly drifted out, "Kill them, kill them and burn them, exterminate their three familial lines."
Cold sweat rolled down A'lan's forehead.
Sensing the killing intent radiating from the Princess surging like a sea of blood.
She hurriedly said, "Reporting to the Princess, Wang Gou'er and Zheng Huaiyi, two ninth-grade martial artists, along with twelve thug scoundrels, all died violently in the Wang Family Moneyhouse early this morning. The killer is currently unknown."
"But based on current appearances."
"It was highly likely the doing of the Young Master..."
"Hmm?" Qin Guo'er was slightly surprised, and then a radiant smile blossomed on her face. "A scholar who has never practiced martial arts actually managed to kill two ninth-grade martial artists. He truly is a naturally gifted martial artist."
"What an interesting dog."
"This Princess is truly taking more and more of a liking to you, and wanting to kill you less and less~"
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum—the eight female officials lowered their heads. Eyes on noses, noses on mouths, mouths on hearts, pretending to be wooden statues.
Acting as if they heard nothing at all.
Overjoyed, Qin Guo'er began stepping on Yang An's face with her little foot again, one step, two steps.
Not only did she not find it repulsive.
She actually stepped on him with increasing vigor.
Looking at Yang An's thin lips, Princess Anle smiled wickedly. Then, looking pretty and delicate, she slowly reached her foot little by little toward Yang An's mouth.
As it got closer and closer.
Princess Anle's phoenix eyes flickered, and her breathing gradually grew rapid.
Just as it was about to touch Yang An's lips.
The unconscious Yang An suddenly moved. His hands unconsciously grabbed Qin Guo'er's fair and tender foot.
His rough fingertips grazed the sole of her foot.
Qin Guo'er's heart trembled, her long eyelashes fluttered a few times, and her small fists clenched tight.
The strength in her foot also weakened a bit.
She was pulled downward by Yang An's grasp.
Only then did Qin Guo'er notice that the loose black robe around his waist had puffed up at some point. Recalling the words the old woman had spoken earlier.
She was horrified.
Her beautiful face instantly turned as red as if it were dripping blood.
What is he doing!
What is this dog trying to do!
Princess Anle didn't even dare to think about it. Seeing that her foot was about to become unclean, in her panic, she tensed her arch and viciously kicked Yang An in the side of the face.
Bang!
The unconscious Yang An flew into the air.
His entire body spun like a top several times before crashing to the floor.
Princess Anle hurriedly hid her jade-like feet, wrapped in the snow-white silk socks, beneath her long skirt. Clutching her chest, she took several small, rapid breaths before she finally calmed down.
Not daring to step on Yang An's face anymore.
She cursed in shame and anger, "Pah! You obscene dog!"