A wave of nausea washed over her. The mere thought of that animal was sickening.
She closed her eyes, her long lashes casting a fragile shadow upon her pale cheeks.
’I can’t back down. I absolutely cannot retreat.’
Behind her was her mother, who had coughed up blood in a fit of rage; her brother, whose legs had been broken; her sister, who had been shamed in the streets. Behind her was the crumbling ancestral estate and dignity of the Yang Family... She was but a wisp of frost in the Deep Palace, utterly dispensable. But even if she were to melt away in an instant, she had to first splash that fiend’s face with her icy chill, ensuring he would never have another chance to harm the Yang Family.
’As long as Lou Shiring dies, it will all be over.’
She had already prepared for the worst. Tucked into her sleeve, alongside the silver hairpin, was a small packet of potent poison she had brought from the palace.
If she failed, at least she could choose to leave this world with her dignity intact, never to suffer his defilement.
"Crown Prince... let us meet in the next life." The words escaped her parched lips, a syllable so faint she herself barely noticed. Of course, the Crown Prince would not hear it.
Then, a faint, almost self-mocking smile touched her lips. ’This is a good opportunity. I can scout the path ahead for him. Perhaps it won’t be long before we meet again on the road to the Yellow Springs.’
He had done more than enough for her and the Yang Family in the past. If not for him, they would have been wiped out during the ghost infestation decades ago. How could they have survived until now? For that reason, she held no resentment for Xia Wuyang, even though the Yang Family’s current predicament was largely due to the decline of the Eastern Palace.
She took a deep breath and clenched her fist around the silver hairpin. The sharp end bit into the soft flesh of her palm, and the piercing pain cleared her chaotic thoughts, steeling her resolve.
And so she sat, still as an ice sculpture, waiting for the dawn. Waiting for the brutal, fated, and likely final meeting where she would flare into her last, brilliant light.
「Meanwhile, west of White Jade Imperial City.」
A sprawling estate with vermilion gates and high walls was ablaze with light, the faint sounds of music and song drifting from within—a stark contrast to the Yang Family’s plight.
This was the Lou Mansion, home to one of the wealthiest landlords in the vicinity of White Jade City, a man with innumerable ties to the capital’s officials.
The mansion’s interior was a study in extravagance, filled with pavilions, gazebos, artificial mountains, and flowing streams. In the main hall, a lavish banquet was in full swing.
At the head of the hall sat a portly, ruddy-faced man in his sixties. This was none other than Landlord Lou Shiring, who had coveted Yang Qiushuang for many years.
He was dressed in a floral brocade robe embroidered with gold and silver thread.
His fingers were adorned with several enormous gold and jade rings. He stroked his sparse beard, his beady eyes narrowed into slits, a lecherous smile spreading across his face as he listened to a report from an advisor-like figure seated below.
"My Lord," the advisor said with a sycophantic grin, "the Yang Family has accepted the invitation. Fifth Class Attendant Yang has agreed to come to the mansion tomorrow at 7:00 AM. When she arrives, she will be yours to command."
"Hmph. She knows what’s good for her. Any later, and the Yang Family would have been history," Lou Shiring snorted, a smug, lecherous glint in his eye. "An Eastern Palace Fifth Class Attendant? Please. She’s just an old crone who’s been living like a widow, one foot already in the grave. If not for this little obsession of mine, I wouldn’t even bother. That elder Crown Prince can’t even fend for himself—who is he going to protect? If that old fool Yang hadn’t been so pig-headed, insisting on sending his daughter into that pit of fire, the little Beauty would have been mine long ago! I wouldn’t be in this mess today. But after all these years... I’ve finally got her. I’m going to enjoy ravaging her. Hehe."
He rubbed his thick, fleshy palms together, his entire body growing hot as he pictured the Beauty, wronged but submissive, completely at his mercy the next day.
The local elites and sycophants drinking with him immediately chimed in with flattery. "My Lord is brilliant! Yang Chengye didn’t know his place, so he’s getting what he deserves. After tomorrow, the Yang Family’s hundred-odd acres of prime rice paddies, and of course, that Eastern Palace concubine... hehe, they’ll all be yours, my Lord!"
Lou Shiring roared with laughter, then smugly drained the wine from his cup.
He could act with such impunity not just because he knew the Eastern Palace was in decline and had connections to numerous officials in the Capital City. His greatest source of confidence was his true backer: the Iron Mountain Sect.
The Iron Mountain Sect was not counted among the top-tier Major Sects, but in White Jade Imperial City and the surrounding counties, it was the undisputed local tyrant. One could only imagine the strength required for a Sect to establish such dominance in the capital’s periphery.
They were on par with, if not more powerful than, many of the Nobility at court. Their network of connections was staggering, and their true strength was beyond imagination.
The Sect was famous for its Body Refining Technique, the Iron Mountain Force. It boasted numerous disciples who acted with impunity, and it was deeply entangled with local government offices and wealthy families, forming an immense sphere of influence. They had even backed several Princes and Princesses in the past.
Its Sect Leader, ’Iron Arm’ Shi Kaishan, was a master who had entered the Super Grade Celestial Human Realm many years ago. Though he was only at the Initial Stage, to mortal Martial Artists, he was an immovable mountain, one of the world’s most peerless experts.
Every year, Lou Shiring paid a tribute of countless gold and silver to the Iron Mountain Sect. In return, he received Shi Kaishan’s protection and tacit approval, allowing him to run rampant in the Western Suburbs. Even the County Yamen had to give him face. He was, after all, a member of the Iron Mountain Sect himself, and held a rather high status within it.
In Lou Shiring’s mind, with the sterling reputation of the Iron Mountain Sect behind him, dealing with the family of a mere Fifth Class Attendant from the disgraced Eastern Palace was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut—utterly foolproof. There would be no complications.
He was already calculating what to do with Yang Qiushuang after tomorrow. Should he keep her as a mistress in a gilded cage? Or should he pass her on to someone else once he grew bored? He could even send her to the Iron Mountain Sect to curry favor with one of the Elders.
Warm Fragrance filled the hall. Flushed with wine, everyone drank and made merry.
No one noticed a shadow, darker even than the night, land silently upon the upturned eaves of the Lou Mansion’s tallest pavilion. It moved like an insubstantial specter.
The figure was clad in Profound Black Martial Attire, covered by a matching Cloak. The hood was pulled low, obscuring most of his face and revealing only a cold, hard jawline. But even that exposed feature was part of a Disguise.
He stood motionless on the corner of the eave. The night wind gently rustled the hem of his Cloak, but he himself remained as still as if he were nailed there, becoming one with the roofline until it was impossible to distinguish the man from the structure.
He had retracted his aura to the point of utter concealment. Forget the drunken mortals in the hall—even an ordinary Celestial Human would have been unable to detect his presence.
This was Xia Wuyang, using a Disguise to appear as a former retainer of the Crown Prince’s Mansion.
Earlier that day, the Shadow Guard had delivered a meticulous report: Yang Qiushuang had left the palace, the Yang Family was in trouble, and an appointment had been set at the Lou Mansion for the following morning.
Initially, he hadn’t paid it much mind, planning only to send someone to resolve the matter.
With the influence and Power he now commanded, dealing with the Lou Family would have been a trivial matter.
Ever since he was deposed, he had never bothered with the trivial affairs of his Harem concubines’ families.

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