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Escape from Danger and the Pursuit Begins
Bai Linglong successfully evaded everyone in the Marquis’s Residence and quietly slipped back into her own Courtyard.
As soon as she stepped into her room, her legs gave out, and she nearly collapsed to the ground. Her heart was still pounding, weighed down by the lingering shock of the night before.
Recalling the scene of being alone in the same room with Nangong Yan, her cheeks instantly burned with heat. She grumbled to herself, “Just my luck to be cursed for eight lifetimes—what a mess to walk into right after arriving!”
But she quickly composed herself. A sharp glint flashed in her eyes as she muttered under her breath, “In this ancient world, I have my spatial system. What do I have to fear?”
“Anyone who dares cross me—I’ll make sure they regret it.”
At the same time, in the room at the Inn that had been deliberately arranged with suggestive ambiance, Bai Xinyao and Concubine Li were seething with rage.
Concubine Li kicked over the nearby stool with one foot and roared, “Where could that little wench have run off to?
We’ve put so much effort into this—spent so much money to bribe people, set up this perfect scheme, and she dares to run away!”
Her plump body trembled violently from anger, and the rolls of fat on her face shook along with it.
Bai Xinyao gritted her teeth, her delicate makeup twisted by her fury, “She must have used some trick. The effects of that drug should have been pretty strong last night, and yet she managed to escape.
Hmph, she thinks running away will make things go unpunished? Absolutely impossible!”
Concubine Li paced back and forth in the cramped room, her brows furrowed in a twisted shape, “What do we do now?”
A malicious glint flashed in Bai Xinyao’s eyes, “We can’t let her have the chance to speak up. We need to strike first.
Once we get back to the Marquis’s Residence, we’ll say she ran off with a man. We’ll have the Master send people to search for her. That way, even if she returns, she won’t be able to explain herself!”
The two of them hurried back to the Marquis’s Residence and barged straight into the Marquis’s study.
Concubine Li rushed in flustered and knelt with a loud “thud,” tears streaming down her face, her voice trembling as she cried, “Master, something terrible has happened!
Today, Xinyao and I accompanied the eldest daughter to go out and relax, and all along the way, she was in high spirits.
But as we passed by the Xinglong Inn, we weren’t paying enough attention, and suddenly, the eldest daughter disappeared!”
She spoke while sneakily glancing at the Marquis’s expression. Seeing his face darken further, she hurriedly continued,
“Later, we searched everywhere and asked around in the inn. A sharp-eyed waiter said he saw the eldest daughter laughing and talking with a strange man as they went into a room.
That man looked like he was all oiled hair and powdered face—nothing like a respectable person. Could it be that the eldest daughter was deceived by him and eloped with him?”
“If this gets out, our family’s reputation will be ruined, and my sister will never be able to show her face again!”
The Marquis, holding his teacup, trembled at the words. The cup crashed to the ground with a sharp “crack,” and his face instantly darkened to the point where it seemed like water could drip from it.
“What did you say?
This unfilial daughter, to do such a shameless thing!”
Bai Xinyao also knelt down, pretending to wipe her tears, “Father, it’s absolutely true. The maidservant saw it with her own eyes.
That man looked like nothing but trouble. The eldest daughter must have been deceived by him.
If this gets out, the reputation of our Marquis’s Residence will be completely destroyed!”
The Marquis, furious, paced back and forth in his study, each step heavy with rage. He shouted angrily, “This is outrageous!
Spread the word! Have everyone in the manor search for her immediately! If she’s alive, bring her here; if she’s dead, bring her body!
If she truly did something as disgraceful as this, I’ll skin her alive!”
The butler stood by, carefully responding, just about to turn and make arrangements.
At this moment, Bai Linglong appeared casually at the door of the study. A faint smile played on her lips, but her eyes were cold and sharp. “Father, are you looking for me?”
Everyone froze in place, their eyes immediately locking onto her.
Bai Xinyao and Concubine Li stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief, as though they had seen a ghost.
Bai Xinyao was the first to snap out of it, her voice high-pitched as she demanded, “You… How are you here?
Where did you go last night?”
“Who was the man you were with?”
Bai Linglong raised an eyebrow and walked slowly into the study, exuding an aura that made it clear she was not to be messed with. She glanced at the two people kneeling on the ground and sneered, “What are you talking about, Second Sister?
I was in my room resting all night. But you two, so eager to fabricate stories about me and a man—could it be that you’re the ones with something to hide? Or perhaps you just can’t stand to see me well off?
I advise you to leave me alone, or I have plenty of ways to make you regret it!”
Concubine Li scrambled to her feet, pointing her finger at Bai Linglong and cursing, “You little slut, still daring to talk back!
The maidservants at the inn saw everything. Don’t try to deny it!”
Bai Linglong took a few steps forward, her movements so fast that they left no time for reaction.
“Slap!”
The crisp sound of a slap rang through the air, Bai Linglong’s hand cutting across Concubine Li’s face with such force that the woman’s head jerked to the side, leaving her stunned.
Before she could regain her senses, Bai Linglong slapped her again. “You venomous woman, how dare you cry and shout here, pretending to be innocent!”
Concubine Li, clutching her fiery, aching face, looked at Bai Linglong in terror. She was about to open her mouth to curse back, but Bai Linglong didn’t give her the chance. Grabbing her by the collar, she slapped her twice more, one after the other.
Blood dripped from the corner of Concubine Li’s mouth, and her hairpin came loose, causing her hair to fall out of place.
“You’ve always plotted against me, and now you’re trying to ruin my reputation. Do you think I am still the same meek eldest daughter, the one you used to bully?”
Bai Linglong yelled in fury, delivering two more slaps, each one packing a powerful force.
Concubine Li was left dazed, collapsing to the ground. Her face quickly swelled with bright red handprints, and a trickle of blood hung from the corner of her mouth.
Her eyes were filled with terror and anger as she trembled, pointing a shaking finger at Bai Linglong and screeching, “You… you little bitch, how dare you hit me!”
Immediately after, she scrambled to crawl over to the Marquis’ feet, clutching his legs and crying out in desperation, “Master, you must help me!
Look at what she’s done, hitting me—does she even care about you or the rules of the Marquis’ house anymore?!”
Bai Linglong looked down at the scene of Concubine Li throwing a tantrum on the floor, her eyes full of disdain. She sneered, “Hah, do you really think you’re worthy of my respect?”
With her head held high, she spoke assertively, “Father, she’s just a concubine of the Marquis’ household, nothing more than a servant.
As the legitimate daughter of the Marquis, what’s wrong with teaching a servant, who dares to rebel and speak nonsense, a lesson?
Unless Father wants to ruin the rules of the Marquis’ house for the sake of a concubine?”