ATMIWPT Chapter 3 Struck a Deal

Qin Muyao gave Fu Hanzhou an incredulous look and asked, “Why do you know so much about the mermaid clan?”

He not only knew about the curse placed on her by the High Priest but also seemed to understand exactly how to handle her.

Fu Hanzhou chuckled softly, the corners of his lips curling upward. His deep voice flowed lazily from his mouth. “That’s none of your concern.”

Qin Muyao: “…”

None of her concern?

If it had nothing to do with her, why was he asking for her help in the first place?

Still, his detailed knowledge about the mermaid clan gave her pause. Perhaps he really did have a way to undo the curse left on the original owner by the High Priest.

If she agreed to work with him, she could use the time to rebuild her internal energy and regain her mastery of the Xuan Sect’s technique.

Fu Hanzhou was utterly indifferent, his voice icy and firm. “Have you made your decision?”

Her eyes lit up with sudden determination. Without hesitation, she answered, “I’m in! But you must keep your promise—help me break the curse once this is over.”

Fu Hanzhou’s dark gaze deepened, and he raised a cup of cold tea to his lips, taking a measured sip. “Mm.”

Amid the swirling chaos, Qin Muyao and Fu Hanzhou struck a deal.

The next morning, Fu Hanzhou summoned a guard and instructed him to deliver a thick stack of documents to Qin Muyao.

She stared wide-eyed at the mountain of files in front of her, her voice trembling as she asked, “Your Highness, do you expect me to memorize all of this?”

Fu Hanzhou, ever composed and detached, responded with his usual icy tone. “Within three days, I want you to learn everything about Qin Muyao. No one should be able to tell the difference.”

Qin Muyao swallowed hard and nodded reluctantly. “I’ll do my best.”

Fu Hanzhou’s brows furrowed in disapproval. “Your best isn’t good enough. I expect perfection.”

Qin Muyao: “…”

Can I just ask you to leave right now?

Three days later, out of concern for her daughter’s reputation, Madam Qin, Wen Shuyun, secretly brought Qin Muyao back to the residence.

Madam Qin offered Fu Hanzhou a heartfelt bow of gratitude. “Your Highness, I cannot thank you enough for finding Yaoyao. I shudder to think of what life would’ve been like if I had truly lost her…”

“Aunt Yun,” Fu Hanzhou nodded slightly, speaking cryptically, “No need to worry. Muyao has already been found. Everything has been arranged—once the time is right, we will proceed.”

Wen Shuyun nodded knowingly.

Qin Muyao, meanwhile, gazed at Wen Shuyun whose love for her seemed to overflow, and softly called out, “Mother…”

“Oh!” Wen Shuyun immediately enveloped her daughter in a warm embrace. Tears shimmered in her eyes even as she beamed. “Yaoyao, I knew you were just teasing me before. A child as filial as you could never forget her own mother!”

Blushing, Qin Muyao leaned into the embrace, her demeanor bashful and compliant, as if silently agreeing with Madam Qin’s words.

From behind her mother’s shoulder, Qin Muyao sneaked a wink at Fu Hanzhou, signaling that she had successfully managed to keep up the pretense.

Fu Hanzhou met her gaze, his expression calm, yet his lips curved into a faint smile as gentle as jade.

…

Marquis of Zhongyi’s Residence.

The carriage came to a halt outside the grand gates of the Marquis of Zhongyi’s residence. Madam Qin held Qin Muyao’s hand tenderly and said, “Yaoyao, we’re home now. Come, let’s get down.”

“Alright.”

Qin Muyao pushed aside the curtain and prepared to step down from the carriage.

Before her foot touched the ground, a piercing scream broke the tranquility.

“Second Young Lady?”

“Aahhh! There’s a ghost!”

Startled, Qin Muyao’s gaze darted toward the source of the commotion. Not far from the carriage stood a trembling maidservant, pale-faced and visibly shaken.

The maid’s entire body quivered, her eyes wide with fear as if she had seen something horrifying—or someone terrifying.

Qin Muyao, apparently someone terrifying, raised her eyebrows. Slowly, she approached the maid, her voice soft yet laced with an edge. “What’s wrong? Are you surprised to see me?”

That maid’s remark just now—“There’s a ghost”—was rather interesting…

Madam Qin had publicly claimed that the Eldest Young Lady, Qin Muyao, had suffered a fright from a nightmare and had gone to the temple to pray for blessings. She had never mentioned her disappearance.

So why was this maid so terrified, insisting with such certainty that the Second Young Lady, Qin Muyao, was already dead?

Something was off!

The maid stood frozen, her body stiff and her gaze fixed downward, unable to meet Qin Muyao’s eyes. Her voice faltered as she whispered, “E-E-Eldest Young Lady…”

She had witnessed the Eldest Young Lady’s death with her own eyes. How could she be standing here, alive and well, back at the residence?

Madam Qin rushed forward, her expression fierce as she reprimanded the maid. “How dare you! Who gave you the courage to fabricate such lies about the Eldest Young Lady?!”

She had finally reunited with her daughter after so much hardship, and now this maid was calling her precious Yaoyao a ghost?

Madam Qin’s face darkened in fury as she ordered, “Someone, drag this insolent maid away and give her fifty lashes!”

Fifty lashes. That was enough to leave someone maimed, if not worse.

Qin Muyao gave Madam Qin a perplexed look, feeling as if she were a completely different person.

“Please, no!” The maid dropped to her knees with a loud thud, her hands slapping the ground in frantic desperation. “Madam, I was wrong! Eldest Young Lady, I’m sorry, please, spare me…”

The guards began to move to drag the maid away, but just as they approached, Qin Muyao called out sharply, “Wait!”

Upon hearing her voice, the guards stopped immediately, standing at attention, unsure of what to do next.

Madam Qin blinked in surprise and turned to her daughter. “Yaoyao, what is it?”

Qin Muyao’s eyes glinted with a hint of mischief, her lips curling into a sly smile. “Mother,” she said, her tone light, “I believe this maid and I share a special connection. Why not let her serve me from now on?”

This terrified maid must know something.  

Once the right opportunity arose, it would be the perfect chance to inquire about the original owner’s situation and thoroughly investigate the reason behind “Qin Muyao’s” disappearance.

Madam Qin smiled kindly, waving her hand in agreement. “If she truly shares a bond with you, then I won’t make things difficult for her. Let her serve you well.”

Qin Muyao suppressed the strange sensation brewing inside her and nodded with a sweet smile. “Thank you, Mother!”

The maid, however, did not seem relieved by this new arrangement. If anything, her anxiety grew, her forehead drenched in cold sweat.

Suddenly, a soft sound sliced through the tense air, unnoticed by most.

Shhh—

A tiny silver needle shot through the air.

What was even more shocking was that the silver needle flew directly toward the maid, and with unerring precision, it embedded itself into the maid’s forehead, between her brows.

“Watch out!”

Qin Muyao reacted instantly. She was about to push the maid out of harm’s way, but it was already too late.

Before she could reach the maid, the woman’s seven orifices began to bleed. In the next moment, she collapsed, lifeless.

The crowd erupted in astonishment.

Someone had killed a person in broad daylight, right in front of everyone. What was even more audacious was that the murderer had dared to do so under the very nose of the Marquis of Zhongyi, Qin Yongyuan, in his own residence! This was an outright provocation.

Madam Qin, her face a picture of panic, immediately shielded Qin Muyao behind her and shouted furiously, “Outrageous! Who dares?

Killing someone right under my nose—do you take me for nothing?

And you nearly hurt my precious daughter—unforgivable!

Today, I’ll skin you alive!”

Madam Qin looked in the direction where the hidden weapon had been launched, rolled up her sleeves, and grabbed a guard’s sword without hesitation before charging forward. From her stance, it seemed as if she was ready to devour the assailant alive.

“Mother!”

“Don’t go! There might be a trap!”

Qin Muyao instinctively felt that this was a conspiracy. Uneasy, she tugged at Madam Qin’s sleeve, trying to stop her actions.

——