Chapter 792: 332 Murder
Xiao Qing pushed the door open and saw Yueyao staring out the window, her eyes filled with desolation and a sense of despair.
Upon noticing someone entering, Yueyao immediately closed her eyes. After a while, she opened them and asked, "What’s your purpose after going through all this trouble to capture me?"
Xiao Qing exclaimed, "I thought you wouldn’t ask! Frankly, I’m curious why he wants to capture you?" Xiao Qing felt that if it was solely for beauty, it wasn’t worth it. With that amount of money, one could buy a top beauty.
Yueyao fell silent again.
Xiao Qing looked at Yueyao and said, "Honestly, I think you are quite brave, not afraid at all in such a situation!" This was what Xiao Qing found most strange. Looking at Yueyao’s manner of speaking and her clothes, she was undoubtedly the daughter of a wealthy family, yet she was not scared even though she had been kidnapped.
Yueyao laughed softly, "My reputation is already ruined; it’s a dead end either way, so what’s there to be afraid of!"
Xiao Qing was startled upon hearing Yueyao’s words. She knew that some daughters of great households would commit suicide if their honor was tarnished.
Seeing Xiao Qing’s expression, Yueyao suddenly showed a pained look and said, "My stomach hurts! It hurts..." Yueyao acted as if she was in so much pain that she couldn’t speak, which frightened Xiao Qing.
Xiao Qing immediately bent down to check what was happening.
As soon as Yueyao saw the opportunity, she swiftly pulled out the silver hairpin from her head and stabbed towards Xiao Qing’s throat. She had learned from Xiang Wei that if the silver hairpin struck the artery in the throat, death was certain.
Yueyao had been consistent in practicing her martial skills over the years, so her movements were extremely agile and her aim was precise. Combined with the hand strength she had built up over the years, the silver hairpin pierced through Xiao Qing’s throat.
After stabbing the hairpin, Yueyao kicked out, knocking Xiao Qing to the ground. She pulled out the hairpin and threw it away.
Xiao Qing, clutching her bleeding neck, looked at Yueyao in horror. Wasn’t this woman a well-bred lady? How could she possess martial skills, and strike with such ruthlessness?
Yueyao frowned at Xiao Qing, who lay on the ground. This person was too weak. But now, there was no time left to waste on her. Yueyao quickly got up from the bed and ran out.
Yueyao had excellent observational skills. The day before, she had noted the way, and the door led to a small alley. Remembering that Xiao Hong had gone to the right, she ran to the left.
Fortunately, she was dressed rather simply yesterday when she went out to paint. If she had been wearing luxurious clothes on the street, she would have attracted attention much earlier. Still, running so fast now also drew the notice of a few people around the alley.
After running for a while, Yueyao turned into a hutong and spotted a few clothes hanging on bamboo poles. She looked at her own female attire; continuing to wear it would quickly result in being caught by those men.
The houses of commoners were not high, so Yueyao, seeing no one around, climbed over the wall into someone’s backyard. She helped herself to two articles of clothing from the clothesline and changed into them. Before leaving, she took off her silver-mounted pearl earrings, pried out the two pearls, and left the silver earrings on the clothesline, considering the silver as payment for the clothes.
When Yueyao climbed back over the wall, she was disguised as a man. She no longer ran, but walked towards the street.
Yueyao searched the street for a while. Her voice was still very hoarse, and speaking too much could risk blowing her cover. After walking on the street for some time, she finally saw a cart stopped by the side of the road.
Yueyao approached and glanced at the coachman, who seemed honest and simple-minded. Speaking in a hoarse voice, she said, "I need to go to the Capital City, leaving now."
The coachman looked at Yueyao, and though she was dressed ordinarily, her demeanor did not seem common. Thus the coachman hesitated before saying, "Young master, it will take till nightfall to reach the Capital City from here. Young master, it will take me two days there and back."
Without bargaining, Yueyao stated, "Ten taels of silver."
A round trip would usually cost about five taels of silver, so there was no reason to refuse ten taels. The coachman happily agreed, "Alright." Once Yueyao got into the cart, he immediately whipped the horses and left the street.
Not even a quarter hour had passed when Yueyao lifted the carriage curtain to see that they were already on the official road. Seeing that no pursuers had caught up, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Yueyao leaned against the cart, thinking about the events from yesterday to today. She felt somewhat scared; she had been too confident too early. She should have known that Zhou Shu was a man who wouldn’t rest until his goals were met. At that thought, a heavy weight settled in Yueyao’s heart. Even if she made it back to the Capital City this time, Zhou Shu would not let her be. There was an adage about being a thief for a thousand days, but no saying about guarding against one for that long. Without resolving this matter, she would never live in peace.