When my vicious stepmother mistakenly married me to the Immortal Lord

The dark night seemed like an endless amount of thick ink painted across the sky; even the faint light of the stars was obscured by the clouds.

Anding Marquis Mansion, Jiang Family Ancestral Hall.

Madam Du Shulan and Nanny Chang were burning paper money in front of the brazier. The flames reflected on their faces, flickering and making them look particularly solemn.

"Squeak--" The wooden door of the ancestral hall was opened, and a black shadow flashed in quickly, bringing with it a gust of cold wind.

"Madam, all those desperate criminals are dead! Even Jiang Dahai died on the mountain!"

Du Shulan was startled, and all the paper money in her hand fell into the brazier, instantly turning into ashes and sparks flying everywhere.

Her face turned pale. "What's going on? Didn't I give you so much money to find a high-level warrior? How come you can't even deal with a bitch?!"

The visitor lowered his head, his voice trembling, "Madam, we did exactly as you instructed, looking for those fierce bandits who had robbed the imperial escort. We thought we were foolproof, but when we went to check on the mountain just now, we saw..."

"A flock of crows circled over the corpses, cawing miserably. The scene was like hell. The bodies of Jiang Dahai and the bandits were scattered all over the ground, some of them torn to pieces, bloody and mangled beyond recognition."

Upon hearing this, Du Shulan's body began to tremble involuntarily, and the tongs in her hand slipped to the ground with a clang.

"Madam, the body was destroyed, but I guess the Xie family must have sent experts to secretly protect that bitch. Otherwise, with the means those brutal bandits used, how could she have ended up like this?" The visitor speculated.

"Where's that bitch?"

"She was extremely alert and didn't take the original carriage back to the city. Perhaps she had noticed something and found another way back. Our people searched everywhere along that road, but found no trace of her."

The visitor answered cautiously, fearing to offend the noble lady in front of him.

"What a cunning little bitch! She actually managed to escape! But, does she think she can get away with it? Humph, if I, Du Shulan, want her to die, she must die!"

Nanny Chang quickly advised, "I heard that the little girl was very popular at the banquet a few days ago. It's not impossible that the Xie family intends to cultivate her. Madam, we need to take a long-term view of the current situation and don't be impatient."

Du Shulan gritted her teeth, her eyes fierce. "Hmph, the Xie family can protect her temporarily, but not forever. How can I tolerate a lowly girl riding on Yun'er's head? Madam Chang, go to Wu Town in person and invite her to me?"

"Black... Black Witch?" Nanny Chang's face changed, filled with fear. "Madam, the Black Witch is a ruthless person. Asking her to take action will cost a lot."

"I know my limits on this matter." Du Shulan's eyes flashed coldly, "This time, I'm going to make that bitch disappear completely, just like her short-lived mother!"

As she spoke, she pulled out a pure gold bracelet from her sleeve and handed it to Nanny Chang. "Take this as a deposit. Tell her that if the task is completed, I will reward her handsomely."

Nanny Chang took the bracelet. It was heavy, and the gemstones on it shone eerily in the firelight. She knew that the bracelet was valuable enough to make the Black Witch's heart flutter.

"Yes, ma'am." Nanny Chang carefully put the bracelet away and replied in a low voice, "I will leave for Wu Town now to ask the Black Witch to come out of seclusion."

Du Shulan nodded, her expression slightly relieved. She turned around and looked at the tablets of the Jiang family's ancestors enshrined in the ancestral hall, a cold look flashing in her eyes.

"Jiang Song, you little bitch, do you think you can rest easy just because you have the Xie family's support? Humph, this time, I want to see how you die!"

As the night grew darker, the conspiracy and murderous intent in the mansion quietly spread like this dark night.

*

At the same time, in the Yunyin Pavilion of the Xie Mansion.

A faint piano sound came from the attic, gradually changing from gentle to high-pitched. At its most exciting part, it seemed to be able to break through the clouds and reach the sky.

"Young Master, are you worried about the Young Madam?" Xie Ruyi looked at the tall young man in white who was playing the piano.

Xie Changyan's fingers paused slightly, and the music of the piano stopped abruptly.

He turned around slowly, the moonlight pouring in from the window, shining on his jade-like face, with a hint of worry between his brows.

"Master, with Ankang and his men following secretly, the young lady will definitely be safe."

"Is there any news from Ankang?"

"Master, there is no news yet." Xie Ruyi bowed his head and said, "But please rest assured, Master. Ankang has been by your side for many years and has always acted prudently. If he finds anything unusual, he will send a message back immediately."

Xie Changyan nodded slightly at this, but the worry in his eyes hadn't completely dissipated. He turned and walked to the window, looking up at the dark night sky, feeling a little confused.

This woman Jiang Song went to the outskirts of the city to pay respect to her biological mother today without even consulting him?!

She went there with a maid. If he hadn't said something today, he probably wouldn't even know when she left the house.

Although Xie Changyan also knew that Jiang Song did this to protect his health and did not want him to overwork.

But the more this happened, the more uneasy he felt. He always felt that there seemed to be an indescribable film between him and Jiang Song.

Does this woman really care about her husband?

Thinking of this, Xie Changyan couldn't help but feel a little angry.

"Ruyi, pass the order down and tell Ankang to ensure the safety of the young lady. If anything goes wrong, he will be held responsible!"

"Yes, young master." Xie Ruyi responded and retreated, but he couldn't help but worry about Xie Ankang in his heart.

Xie Changyan stood alone in front of the window, the night breeze blowing across his face, bringing a slight chill. His heart, however, was like a tangled mess, unable to be cut or sorted out.

At this moment, a slight sound suddenly came from outside the window.

Xie Ruyi's eyes flashed and he immediately flew out to check.

A moment later, he came back with a small black bamboo tube.

"Young Master, this is a carrier pigeon from Ankang." Xie Ruyi handed the bamboo tube to Xie Changyan.

Xie Changyan took the bamboo tube, took out the note inside and unfolded it. His frown immediately relaxed.

"Master, I told you that you can rest assured that Ankang will be able to handle the work." Xie Ruyi saw that Xie Changyan's expression had eased, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Is everything okay with the young lady?"

Xie Changyan handed the note to Xie Ruyi, a faint smile on his face, "Read it for yourself."

Xie Ruyi took the note and saw that it read: "No danger, hidden danger eliminated. I have secretly escorted the young lady to the inn. Everything went smoothly. Don't worry."

After reading it, he also smiled, "That's good, young master, you can rest assured. Young Madam is a lucky person, and she will be fine."

Xie Changyan snorted softly and turned his head away pretending to be calm. "Who said I was worried about her? I'm just afraid that she'll cause trouble and bring shame to the Xie family."

Having said that, he couldn't hide the smile in the corner of his eyes.

Xie Ruyi laughed inwardly. It was not the first time that he had seen his young master being so hypocritical.

He wisely didn't expose her, but simply changed the subject, "Master, it's late, you should get some rest early. Doctor Xue said that your body needs rest and you shouldn't overwork yourself."

Xie Changyan nodded, feeling somewhat exhausted. He turned and headed towards the inner room, but stopped at the threshold.

"Ruyi, tomorrow morning, prepare the carriage and we will go to pick up the young lady and take her back home."

"Also, have the chef at the mansion prepare some of her favorite snacks. She must be feeling heavy-hearted after visiting her biological mother today. She needs to be comforted when she returns."

"Yes, Master." Xie Ruyi responded, muttering softly, "I don't know who it is. He just said he wasn't worried."

Xie Changyan, who had sharp ears, still heard it. He turned around and pretended to put on a stern face, "Xie Ruyi, what are you mumbling about?"

Xie Ruyi waved his hands quickly, "Nothing, nothing, Master, please take a rest. I will go and arrange tomorrow's affairs."

After saying that, he turned around and left, fearing that Xie Changyan would question him.