Chapter 12: Xiao Ling’er Strikes Again

Xiao Ling’er was overjoyed—she was finally no longer penniless. At 2 wealth points per jin, she directly bought 5 jin of rice.

Tomorrow, they could finally eat proper rice. Suddenly, Xiao Ling’er regretted letting the other groups go.

Even if she didn’t kill them, she should’ve at least knocked them unconscious and exchanged their clothes and belongings.

Sigh… what a waste!

The battle had taken quite a bit of time. Xiao Ling’er urged Xiao Yuhao and Mu Xiya again to rest early.

Xiao Yuhao insisted on keeping watch tonight. Xiao Ling’er knew the boy was naturally alert—he wouldn’t be able to sleep even if she made him lie down.

So, she didn’t refuse his request. After giving him some careful instructions, she discreetly glanced toward a certain direction before falling into a deep sleep.

About fifty meters away, hidden in a large tree, two men in black finally dared to exhale deeply.

“Gu Yi, do you think she noticed us?” one of them whispered uncertainly to the other.

He had noticed that the young girl had glanced in the direction of their hiding spot—whether intentionally or unintentionally, he wasn’t sure.

The man called Gu Yi stayed silent for a moment before speaking in a grave tone, ignoring the question.

“Gu Er, report back to our master. That woman and her mother are not ordinary.”

The whole situation tonight felt strange. Those three looked like frail and vulnerable villagers, yet they had completely overpowered and slaughtered eight people.

No—what truly made Gu Yi wary was the fact that he had clearly seen that the two younger ones didn’t even make a move. The one who fought was their mother.

A rural woman—supposedly without martial arts, without combat skills, no internal strength, skinny and seemingly half-witted—was able to kill someone in just two or three punches.

What kind of terrifying strength is that?!

Their master’s token was still in the hands of those three. If they harbored any ill intentions…

The more Gu Yi thought, the more restless he became. He began to suspect that Xiao Ling’er’s family had deliberately gotten close to their master. A flash of killing intent flickered in his eyes.

“Gu Yi, you…?” Gu Er was startled by the sudden murderous aura radiating from Gu Yi.

“They mean no good. We can’t let them near the master. Let’s kill them and take the token back.”

Gu Yi seemed possessed, a strong and unshakable thought dominating his mind: eliminate Xiao Ling’er and her family to prevent them from ever getting close enough to threaten the master.

Especially that woman—today she had made the master break his own rules for her. Tomorrow, she might disrupt his entire plans.

He would never allow such a thing to happen!

“Gu Yi, calm down! The master sent us to protect them in secret, not to kill them.”

Gu Er, sensing the intense bloodlust from Gu Yi, warned him sternly.

He had always known that to Gu Yi, their master was like a god.

No, to all of them—the master was a godlike figure.

But Gu Yi was particularly stubborn and rigid. He refused to allow anyone or anything to endanger their master.

If he sensed any potential threat, Gu Yi would secretly eliminate it before it even had a chance to grow.

Indeed, in the past there had been many nuisances sneaking around in the dark, and Gu Yi’s impulsive actions had saved their master a lot of trouble.

The master had turned a blind eye only because he didn’t care about those people or matters.

But this girl was different—she had saved the young miss’s life. The fact that the master handed her his token and secretly sent guards to escort her already showed she held a special place in his heart.

If Gu Yi killed her and her family now, it wouldn’t just be a betrayal—it would be a direct violation of the master’s orders.

Did he really think he could walk away unscathed after this? He must’ve forgotten just how terrifying their master truly was!

Gu Yi also seemed to forget that he, along with Gu Bei, Gu Nan, Gu Dong, and Gu Xi, had all been handpicked as the most elite bodyguards by the family head.

In the end, the other four were promoted to become the master’s top-tier personal guards and were granted names—East, West, South, and North.

Only he was named Gu Yi and remained a second-tier guard.

Why? Because the master didn’t just need skilled guards—he needed subordinates who were loyal and obedient above all.

“I’ll report to the master and accept my punishment myself!” Gu Yi didn’t heed Gu Er’s warning. His mind was filled with only one thought: to eliminate that mother and her children.

Especially that woman. Not only had she bewitched the master into breaking precedent by giving away his waist token, she even dared taint the master. She deserved to die.

The sooner he killed her, the sooner he could return to the master’s side and carry out more meaningful tasks.

With that, Gu Yi stopped hesitating. He shoved Gu Er aside, used his light-footed martial arts to dart toward Xiao Ling’er, and drew the long sword at his side, aiming directly for her chest.

Gu Er followed quickly. Seeing that the young woman was about to be stabbed to death, he swung his sword to block the attack.

“Big sister—!” Xiao Yuhao screamed in terror and leapt forward.

At that critical moment—

Ding!

Pfft!

Thud!

Three distinct sounds followed one after the other.

First, the clash of weapons. Then, the unmistakable sound of a bullet piercing flesh. And finally, the heavy thud of a body hitting the ground.

Gu Er stared in shock at Gu Yi’s lifeless body, now collapsed on the ground. A gaping, bloody hole had opened in his chest, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

“Don’t move!”

A cold voice rang out behind Gu Er, accompanied by something hard pressing against his lower back.

Gu Er dared not move an inch. Though he hadn’t seen clearly what kind of hidden weapon the girl had used to kill Gu Yi—

He knew one thing for sure: Gu Yi had been selected as one of the most elite guards. His martial skill was beyond doubt, ranking among the best in the entire Biyun Continent.

Yet this young woman had killed him effortlessly, in a single move—quick and clean.

Gu Er was gripped with fear. Afraid he’d share Gu Yi’s fate, he hurriedly tried to explain:

“Miss, I… I bear no ill will toward you or your family. We were only…”

Xiao Ling’er coldly cut him off. “I’ll spare your life for blocking that strike earlier—just this once.”

“Go back and tell your master: I don’t care what his intentions are. But if he dares send anyone to track me again, none of them will return alive.”

“And another thing—one day, I will take this waist token and come to collect the favor I’m owed. He had better keep his promise.”

“But… the master sent us to… secretly protect you and your family,” Gu Er said weakly, his voice lacking conviction.

All of this was Gu Yi’s fault. His reckless actions had made the situation irreparable.

Now that the mission had failed, how could he even face the master?

What’s worse, judging by the girl’s words, she had likely blamed the master for what happened.

Ah…

Gu Er wanted to explain things clearly, but no amount of explanation could make up for Gu Yi’s actions.

“Leave. Take the other three and get out of our sight!” Xiao Ling’er finally barked, her patience gone.

Gu Er was stunned—this girl was just as formidable as her mother. He was certain neither of them knew martial arts, yet she had sensed the presence of three other hidden shadow guards from over three hundred meters away.