Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Murong Yanyu remained silent, burying her head in her rice.

She felt that the young lady didn't seem like a bad person. A while ago, she even gave her some silk underwear, saying that she should wear loose ones, otherwise her figure wouldn't look good when she grew up.

But this is a woman's private matter, and she wouldn't argue with a young master.

Seeing that Murong Yanyu had finished eating, Ye Ci ladled her a spoonful of soup and asked:

"Your cooking skills have improved quite a bit these days. This meal would cost several taels of silver in an ordinary family, wouldn't it?"

Murong Yanyu nodded, took a small sip of soup, and thought that the young master was simply too kind, actually serving her soup.

But she sensed that the young master had something to say, and sure enough, she heard Ye Ci sigh:

"Can you go back to those hard times now?"

"Being with you, young master, makes me feel no bitterness."

Murong Yanyu, fearing that Ye Ci wouldn't believe her, raised her head again and said solemnly, "When I ate the coarse rice buns, I also thought they were very good. At that time, when the young master fed me a bite of osmanthus cake, my heart was filled with sweetness."

thump——

Ye Ci flicked her forehead: "Who taught you to talk like that?"

"It's written in the book."

Murong Yanyu added, "I have free access to the young lady's study, and I saw it in a storybook."

"Were you even listening to me? I said that the young lady was going to attack me, and that there's something wrong with her."

Murong Yanyu rested her chin on her hand, deep in painful thought: "But, Young Master just killed that person, and that person didn't even say he was the young lady's man..."

"The eyes don't lie."

Ye Ci said, "That person clearly recognized the young lady. Given the circumstances, I wouldn't really let her give an answer, since you were all in the Shen residence. I could only issue a warning."

"Besides, once I get the answer, should I kill her? Old Master Shen has treated me well, and I will consider his feelings."

He had analyzed it carefully. Shen Yixi had been nervous outside Wenyuan Hall, and Qian Jin was waiting for him there. There was no such coincidence in the world...

Murong Yanyu also looked worried: "Grandma and Yaoyao both like this place very much. If we really leave the Shen family, Yaoyao will probably be sad... Besides, I think the young lady just dislikes you, but doesn't want to hurt you."

"You hate me?"

Ye Ci was both amused and exasperated: "Are we that close? Why would she dislike me?"

"I heard from the maids that Old Master Shen wanted to marry her to you, but she said she doesn't like men who are covered in sweat. However, I don't think so..."

Murong Yanyu first defended herself, and then said:

"But Miss has been saying this for a long time, and she hasn't harmed you. If she really wanted to harm you, I think she could have poisoned your food. Besides, it was Young Master who came to our door today, not some assassin who came to kill you."

"That's true."

Ye Ci considered for a moment: "We can take another look. Shen Wanzhou is still in charge of the Shen family. She, as a junior, wouldn't dare to act rashly. If she dares to make a move against you, I'm not one to show mercy to women."

"By the way, Mumu, why did you think of poisoning me?"

"There's a story in the book about a very beautiful woman who was poisoned by her husband, who sold her pancakes, because she loved another man's husband."

*****

Upon returning to the Shen residence, Shen Xin gradually came to her senses after her initial shock, and found Shen Yiqian in the study.

"Qian'er, why did Elder Ye bring that person before you? And why did he ask those questions?"

Women from wealthy families are all quite intelligent.

Shen Xin recalled Ye Ci bringing the person in front of Shen Yixi and asking those questions at the end... This meant that this matter might be related to her niece.

"Did you assassinate him before?"

"no."

The latter young lady sat at her desk with a bowl of lotus seed soup in front of her. Without looking up, she scooped up a spoonful of lotus seeds and put it in her mouth.

"Then why do you say you're wrong?"

This time, the young lady put down her spoon and looked serious:

"I thought he was just a spoiled brat who had won over the old man and wasted the family's investment. Now it seems I was wrong."

"I had heard of a type of demonic cultivator who develops strange purple spots on their bodies after death... The problem is that these people are fundamentally skilled in internal energy cultivation, making them exceptionally strong. I truly underestimated Elder Ye for being able to kill such a person so easily, so I admit I was wrong."

"Thinking about it carefully, perhaps Elder Ye discovered something, which is why he didn't participate in the competition and left halfway through. So... I was wrong again."

She didn't say what was on her mind.

I didn't expect Ye Ci to suddenly leave the arena. After meeting him, I mistakenly thought that Ye Ci wanted to do something to me.

That's a real mistake; you're just being delusional!

However, he killed someone right in front of him.

"Who knows, he might be the one who saved us today."

After saying that, Shen Yixi let out a long sigh.

After listening to her niece's words, Shen Xin reminded her, "If you didn't lay a hand on him, you should explain to him in person, otherwise there might be a misunderstanding."

Shen Yixi rested her chin on her hand, blinking slightly, as if hesitating about something.

Those who believe in you will always believe, and those who doubt you will always doubt... Once you ask a question, no matter what the other person says, there will only be one answer.

"You...are you saying that Master Ye believes you harmed him?"

Shen Xin recalled that when Ye Ci grabbed that person and asked him if he knew Shen Yixi, he didn't actually need an answer.

So he killed the person.

This is a mess.

******

Inside the Shen family courtyard.

Beneath the osmanthus tree, amidst the swaying moonlight.

A tall, thin man in a gray shirt was hiding at the base of a wall, his right hand hanging at his side. On his hand with its distinct knuckles, there was a long, slender little finger.

Hu Yu believed that murder should not be left unresolved overnight.

Since we've decided to kill Ye Ci, we might as well do it sooner rather than later.

The faint sound of footsteps of night patrol guards could be heard from inside the house. Hu Yu's eyes darkened slightly. He lightly touched the ground with his foot, using the "Treading Snow Without a Trace" technique. His figure was so fast that only a blur remained. Like a startled swan, he swept across the green tiles on the top of the courtyard wall without making a sound.

"call--"

He vaguely sensed someone around him, and his heart tightened immediately. He quickly crouched down and hid in the cracks of the rockery in the courtyard.

Crouching in the crevice of the rocks, Hu Yu rubbed his chin, quickly calculating in his mind: The Shen family mansion is deep and spacious, with courtyards stretching out in all directions. If he were to search blindly, he would surely make a big mistake. It would be better to capture a guard and interrogate him about Ye Ci's residence.

"Tell me, where does that scoundrel Ye Ci live?"

A knife was held to his neck.

Turning his head, he saw a masked man in front of him, his night clothes taut over his body, outlining his bulging muscles, with a bow and arrows slung over his shoulder.

The quiver is full.

Hu Yu was stunned for a moment. He thought that Ye Ci, whom he wanted to kill, might really be hated by many people, since he even managed to run into an assassination attempt.

It's truly a cruel twist of fate.

He tilted his neck slightly, avoiding the blade, and lowered his voice to a very low hue:

"I'm here to kill him too."

The person in front of her paused for a moment, then carefully examined the man in the blue robe.

Previously, he thought this person was a hidden sentry of the manor.

Because he knew that besides Chen Sanshou, the publicly acknowledged Grandmaster of Internal Energy, the Shen family also had someone in the shadows. For example, Manager Chen of the pharmacy was a martial artist at the Grandmaster level.

"Which gang are you from?" Hu Yu asked in a low voice, pushing the blade aside with his hand.

Qin Lie lowered his voice: "And who are you from?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Just to explain, I usually post my work after midnight, but this Friday's chapter will be posted later, possibly in the evening, because the editor notified me that it's ready for publication.

I've arranged to meet with the editor on Friday to discuss further, as I'd like to write more free words.

Why am I not afraid to write more for free? This book is just an upgraded version of a template, so I'm not afraid of it collapsing if the word count gets too high.

It will be sent out at the normal time tomorrow.

If nothing unexpected happens, it shouldn't be available for purchase the day after tomorrow and will continue to be free.