Chapter 182: Qi Yanzhou’s Counterattack

Qi Yanzhou found a change of clothes and scooped some hot water into the tub.

“Third Brother, come with me to the backyard and stand guard at the door.”

Qi Heran, thinking about how the Zhao family was staying in the backyard and how Zhao Simin had designs on Qi Yanzhou, immediately nodded.

“Alright, Second Brother.”

Ye Chutang called out to them and took out a handmade mugwort essential oil soap from her bundle, handing it to Qi Yanzhou.

“Use this, it can wash both your hair and your body.”

The handmade soap was a transparent green, emitting a pleasant mugwort fragrance, which made Qi Heran exclaim in admiration.

“Second Sister-in-law, what is this?”

Ye Chutang casually made up an explanation, “I made this soap from mugwort in the countryside.”

“It’s so beautiful, Second Sister-in-law is amazing.”

Qi Yanzhou gave Ye Chutang a suspicious glance but didn’t ask further.

He called to Qi Heran, “Let’s go, better wash up early, or we’ll have to wait in line when more people arrive.”

The Dragon Guard noticed Qi Yanzhou leaving and exchanged a meaningful look.

The emperor had assigned them the task of destroying the Qi family, and Qi Yanzhou was their primary target.

So, whenever there was an opportunity to act against Qi Yanzhou, they would not let it pass.

Ye Chutang had never stopped observing the officials escorting them.

She immediately noticed something unusual.

At first, she thought the officials might ask her to cooperate with their actions, but there was no movement at all.

The dog emperor was guarding against her!

Ye Chutang didn’t follow them to the backyard but informed Qi Yanzhou of the odd behavior of the officials.

She trusted this man’s abilities, knowing he wouldn’t easily be plotted against.

So, she rested in the yard at ease.

By the time Qi Yanzhou and Qi Heran arrived at the backyard, the Zhao family was still waiting for their meal.

Zhao Simin, gazing at Qi Yanzhou like a divine being, felt both love and hatred, unable to take her eyes off him.

Qi Heran quickly noticed and positioned himself to block her gaze.

The storeroom was located at the northwest corner, a small, dirty, and rundown room.

Qi Heran opened the door with a creak, and a thick layer of dust rose, choking him and causing him to cough repeatedly.

“Second Brother, it’s so dirty.”

Qi Yanzhou placed the bucket of hot water down.

“It’s fine, I’ll clean it up.”

After saying this, he handed Qi Heran his change of clothes.

Here is the English translation:

“Wait outside.”

He wasn’t concerned for his half-brother, but wanted to personally inspect the storeroom to eliminate any potential hazards.

Although the storeroom was dirty, it didn’t have much stored in it.

After Qi Yanzhou cleaned it up, the available space increased significantly, and he didn’t find any dangers.

He fetched several buckets of well water to wash away the dust on the ground.

The messy storeroom became clean.

Without hot water, Qi Yanzhou directly used the cold well water to shower. It was a bit chilly, but bearable.

The transparent soap, scented with mugwort, felt smooth as it was applied to his body. It seemed as though it couldn’t be fully washed off, which made him a bit uncomfortable.

Zhao Simin, hearing the sound of the water, couldn’t help but glance toward the storeroom.

She saw Qi Heran glaring angrily.

The moment her previous flirtatious thoughts arose, they were instantly extinguished, and she reluctantly shifted her gaze away.

Qi Yanzhou didn’t know about the brief tension between Qi Heran and Zhao Simin. He focused on taking a proper shower to avoid stinking up Ye Chutang.

When he finished his shower and was about to get dressed, he suddenly heard a rustling sound.

The sound was faint, and if he hadn’t been constantly alert, he would have missed it.

Following the rustling noise, he looked toward the pile of items he had just cleaned up in the storeroom.

The lighting in the storeroom was very dim, barely enough to see, making it hard to detect any dangers lurking in the dark corners.

He held his breath, his body tense.

Suddenly, a small black snake flew out from the pile of items, moving swiftly with impressive speed and aggression.

Qi Yanzhou knew the black snake was definitely venomous. He quickly pulled the hairpin from his head and tossed it.

The hairpin struck the snake at its weakest point, slicing it into two.

Worried that the venom might drip onto the ground, he immediately used some dirty clothes to swipe the snake’s head away.

The snake’s head fell deep into the pile of items.

Even if the venom dripped onto the ground, it would be absorbed by the dust and wouldn’t pose any danger to anyone.

After confirming there was no danger, Qi Yanzhou quickly showered and put on his clothes.

For convenience, he wore a narrow-sleeved inner garment with a coarse cloth outer garment.

He took a jade hairpin made of wood and white jade, casually tied his messy black hair, and left the storeroom.

Probably because the well water was too cold, a chill seemed to emanate from his body, making it hard for anyone to look directly at him.