She should have known that Yun Shu would never let her go easily, given how readily she had been released earlier.
Her angry questioning was indeed met with an abrupt halt to the laughter.
The next moment.
Two figures emerged from the dense forest.
Upon seeing who had arrived, Jiang Luoxi's face turned extremely grim.
"It's you?"
"I've been waiting for you here for a long time, Jiang Luoxi." Qian Le'er approached, her gaze fixed on Jiang Luoxi with unconcealed, burning hatred.
Qiu Lu, following behind her, silently watched Jiang Luoxi's every move, prepared for any sudden attack.
Jiang Luoxi's vision blurred. She suddenly recalled that if she had listened to Yun Shu and taken a different route, she might not have encountered Qian Le'er.
"Miss Yun Er has fulfilled her promise. Jiang Luoxi, you've encountered me here through your own bad luck and volition. Do you believe in fate? Is it truly destined that you, Jiang Luoxi, would one day fall into my hands!" Qian Le'er looked down at the disheveled Jiang Luoxi, who had fallen to the ground. The hatred in her heart grew wildly like an unchecked vine.
Her eyes, like they were poisoned, were fixed on the woman who had sent her from heaven to hell!
Jiang Luoxi snapped back to reality from the darkness. She opened her eyes, her expressionless gaze shifting from Qian Le'er to Qiu Lu nearby.
Escaping from Qian Le'er was not an insurmountable problem; even without her internal energy, it wouldn't have made much difference. However, escaping from Qiu Lu was highly unlikely.
She began to plot in secret.
"Don't even think about any tricks. My cousin is already on guard," Qian Le'er sneered, reminding Jiang Luoxi.
The next moment, Qiu Lu stepped forward, disarmed Jiang Luoxi of her hidden weapon, and bound her.
Jiang Luoxi tried to resist but was too late.
Damn it!
If she hadn't been injured internally, she wouldn't be trapped by these two now, completely unable to fight back!
"Do you know who is behind me? And I am now Concubine Luo. If you kill me, the Emperor will certainly not spare you!" Jiang Luoxi threatened in a deep voice.
"You can use those words to trick others, but don't even think about tricking me! Jiang Luoxi, do you think I'm still the Qian Le'er from a few months ago? I should thank you. If you hadn't bothered to train me, how could I have become a little smarter? So, I've thought it through. I want to repay you. How do you want me to repay you?" Qian Le'er bent down, looking coldly at Jiang Luoxi.
She had been envisioning this moment since she was tormented in the ruined temple.
One day, as long as Jiang Luoxi fell into her hands, she would make sure Jiang Luoxi would wish for death but couldn't have it!
Jiang Luoxi's face paled slightly, but she maintained an air of disdain towards Qian Le'er. "You are a pawn in my hand, Qian Le'er. I know what tricks you're trying to play."
"No, you don't know what tricks I'm trying to play. I've learned a lot during this time. I can show you if this will make someone truly fear from the bottom of their heart and repent for their past actions." Qian Le'er let out a few sinister laughs, her demeanor tinged with a hint of deranged madness.
Seeing this, Jiang Luoxi's heart skipped a beat.
"What do you want to do?" Jiang Luoxi pressed.
Qian Le'er suddenly picked up an axe from the side.
The axe blade was dull and unpolished.
The moment she saw the axe, Jiang Luoxi realized something and immediately cried out to Qiu Lu, "Qiu Lu, you are someone by the King of Night's side. You know what to do and what not to do! The King of Night must have told you about my identity. I can do things for the King of Night. If you allow her to act against me, it will be a loss for the King of Night. Can you bear the consequences?"
Seeing Jiang Luoxi finally in distress, Qian Le'er felt a surge of satisfaction. "You don't need to worry about that. Do you think your secrets can be hidden from everyone?"
"I've almost finished investigating your affairs," Qiu Lu said coldly. "You must pay the price for what you've done. Le'er, you can do whatever you wish."
Qian Le'er nodded vigorously. "The revenge I seek is not just mine, but for the more than a hundred lives in our village, for my parents!"
She raised the axe high.
Jiang Luoxi struggled, crawling, and shouted, "No! I am not the mastermind! You've mistaken the person!"
"Even if you had to follow others' orders, there are some things you could decide for yourself, without needing anyone's approval. Do you think I would believe you?" Qian Le'er sneered.
The axe, raised high, swung down towards Jiang Luoxi.
Jiang Luoxi's eyes widened.
"No!"
...
The next day.
Dawn broke.
In a deserted ruined temple not far from the capital.
Initially, there were only one or two beggars.
Then, word spread, and more and more beggars began to arrive.
From morning to noon, people came in an endless stream.
Some emerged from the ruined temple, sighing in wonder, "If that woman hadn't lost a leg, she would have been perfect! She's so beautiful. And she claimed to be an imperial concubine!"
"Hahaha, she must be dreaming of being a concubine?"
"When I was rough with her earlier, she even said she knew the King of Night and that he wanted to take her as a concubine and would avenge her!"
"Don't listen to her! Didn't you hear her boss? She used to be a courtesan in a pleasure house. She was punished and had her leg cut off, then sold to him for cheap. How could a disgraced courtesan know the King of Night?"
As a few people walked away, chattering, others approached an old woman and asked, "A few copper coins?"
"Ten copper coins," the old woman happily collected the money.
In a short time, she had already earned quite a lot!
She was determined to take good care of this money tree!
That noble person said she must ensure the woman inside suffered for a year. After a year, someone would come to take her away. During this time, she couldn't resell her or have any other devious thoughts. She would let the woman earn money for her using this method.
Naturally, she agreed to such a good deal!
Qian Le'er, watching from a distance, remained expressionless.
Qiu Lu stood by her side in silence.
At this moment, he couldn't fathom Qian Le'er's thoughts.
But he understood her state of mind and said softly, "I have completely crippled her martial arts. Now that her leg is also broken, she's like a cripple and cannot escape."
What Le'er had endured, Jiang Luoxi would have to experience many times over!
This was Jiang Luoxi's retribution!
And the revenge for Jiang Luoxi killing Old Master Qin ensured that Jiang Luoxi could not die easily.
"Good, thank you, cousin," Qian Le'er replied calmly.
Seeing this, Qiu Lu wanted to say something but felt unsure how, so he continued to stay by her side in silence.
Meanwhile, Yun Shu had returned to the capital and gone to the King of Night's mansion.
In the study, Yun Shu looked at Zhan Tianye and recounted the secret Jiang Luoxi had told her, one by one.