After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

They came to the Liu family to inquire about the charcoal. Nothing seemed amiss on the way there until they entered the Liu family's old residence. Like Lu Zhiyuan, the moment they pushed open the door, they noticed something unusual about the fallen leaves on the ground, and following the leaves, they saw the bloodstains.

He went to the storeroom and saw the servants lying there.

Without moving anything at the scene, he closed the door and headed straight for the second courtyard. He was on guard, so much so that when he saw the assassin holding the servant hostage, he instinctively rescued him. Their eyes met, and a face exactly like his suddenly appeared. He had suspected Alu's identity until Alu revealed the scar on his wrist, and he realized that the one he had saved was his long-lost younger brother.

Years later, the brothers meet again. One is there to inquire about a case, the other is a servant of the Liu family who has been taken hostage. Just as he is eager to know what exactly happened back then, a dagger pierces his heart. In his incredulous gaze, A-Lu, expressionless, slaps him.

Without a word, just one look was enough to tell that Alu hated him.

That was his younger brother, his long-lost brother. He only wanted to know why he hadn't died, why he had left the capital for Ganzhou, and why he was at the Liu family's old residence. Alu looked at him, pulled the dagger from his heart, wiped it, and coldly said, "If you want to know, ask the King of Hell."

He grabbed Alu's sleeve, but Alu picked him up and threw him into the hole.

Lu Yun laughed, but his laughter was tinged with bitterness.

Who could have imagined that in just a few years, two brothers who depended on each other for survival would become bitter enemies who would draw their swords against each other, and that he was the one who was tricked.

A-Lu and that assassin were in cahoots; the Liu family members were killed by those two, or even more assassins.

Please step into the trap; you cannot linger here.

Liu Ying's body was gone, and so was the young waiter. Lu Zhiyuan was anxious, but she couldn't tell Lu Yun the truth. He had just found his long-lost younger brother, and had just been stabbed by him. If he were to find out that his brother had used his identity to kill Liu Ying, the girl he grew up with, he feared...

Noticing Lu Zhiyuan's gaze, Lu Yun asked anxiously, "Where's Liuying? How badly is she injured? Where is she? In the front yard or the back yard? It's not safe here; we need to get her away as soon as possible."

Lu Zhiyuan felt something stuck in her throat, and her eyes felt sore.

She was an assassin, the most elite and skilled assassin, yet she could never protect the person she most wanted to protect. Ye Bai was like that, Liu Ying was like that, and even Lu Yun had escaped death several times.

She was the one who deserved to die the most. She was sick, terminally ill, and didn't have long to live. But why were the people she cared about dying the ones who should have lived to be a hundred years old?

She dared not sob, for fear that Lu Yun would hear her.

"Liu Ying is injured, so I asked the young man driving the carriage to take her back first."

“Miss shouldn’t have come alone. She should at least have brought Han Ting or His Highness with her.” Lu Yun said, “His Highness is the same. Knowing that Ganzhou is not peaceful, he still dared to let Miss go out alone. We’re better off without a son-in-law like that!”

“It has nothing to do with His Highness. His Highness instructed me before leaving on business that I couldn’t resist coming to the Liu family’s old residence.” Lu Zhiyuan sniffed lightly.

The guards were supposed to accompany them, but she was too confident, assuming that with Lu Yun at the Liu family's old residence, she and Liu Ying wouldn't encounter any danger. If she had given it a second thought, if she had brought two more guards, wouldn't Liu Ying have been spared from this misfortune?

A slightly metallic taste rose in his throat, which he forcefully suppressed.

The carriage remained where it was, proving that the group hadn't left from there. They hadn't attacked her, but instead took Xie's young servant and Liu Ying's body; their target wasn't her, but something much bigger.

What is their purpose?

Lu Zhiyuan had no idea and was racking her brains trying to figure it out.

With difficulty, I helped Lu Yun into the carriage. Afraid that he would ask about Liu Ying again, I simply changed the subject.

"How many people have you killed at this villa?"

“Five!” Lu Yun’s eyes darkened: “The previous steward, the nanny in charge of purchasing for the villa, the two maids in the backyard who were responsible for taking care of the young lady, and a servant who was responsible for cleaning. I buried them under the peach tree on the back hill, the one that the young lady could see when she opened the window in her boudoir.”

Lu Zhiyuan remembered that she could indeed see a thriving peach tree from the second-floor window.

Chaoyun Villa was more complicated than Lu Zhiyuan had imagined. Despite the small number of people in the courtyard, it was infiltrated by various factions. Two stewards were killed by Lu Yun: one was sent by the palace, his allegiance unknown; the other was planted by Ji Wanwan, the one Lu Yun buried upside down.

The nanny in charge of purchasing was arranged by a relative of the Xie family through marriage, with the same purpose as Ji Wanwan.

Lu Zhiyuan stopped the carriage: "Who is this Xie family relative you mentioned?"

"Your maternal great-aunt's family, that is, your aunt's biological parents, were worried that you would threaten their grandson's position and wanted to get rid of you. This matter had nothing to do with your aunt; she was kept in the dark. The first to realize it was your second uncle, followed by your second uncle. You should have heard what happened later. Your aunt's younger brother was removed from his official post because of his involvement in a case and was almost exiled to a harsh, cold place."

Removing her official hat and ending her career was a warning from the Xie family. They mediated because they didn't want her aunt to be caught in the middle, and they kept the truth from her to avoid upsetting Lu Zhiyuan and her mother.

My aunt is my uncle's wife, and their two children are her cousins, my mother's most beloved nephews and nieces. If her parents were to harm her, how could she bear it if the truth were revealed?

"And you? Why did you choose me?"

Seven years ago, she was just a young girl, still wet behind the ears, suffering from a serious illness. She admitted that her methods were indeed cruel, but not enough to frighten Lu Yun, who had already taken multiple lives. So, what was Lu Yun's purpose in staying by her side?

People can't see into each other's hearts; she understands the world less and less, and doesn't understand what it wants to do to her.

“Miss, have you forgotten? Lu Yun said this back at the Liu family’s old house. You saved Alu and my lives. Even if what happened that night hadn’t happened, Lu Yun would still be loyal to you and would never do anything to harm you.”

The carriage headed into the city, but stopped abruptly after a short distance.

Lu Yun drew his sword and heard Lu Zhiyuan say, "They are Han Ting's men."

The newcomer nimbly boarded the carriage, taking Lu Zhiyuan's place as the driver. Just as Lu Zhiyuan returned to the carriage, she saw Lu Yun suddenly vomit blood.

She hurriedly went to look for the silver needles, only to find that her medicine box and needle kit, which she had left on the carriage, were gone.

An ominous premonition crept into my heart.

Outside the carriage curtain, the waiter who had just boarded chuckled, "It's no use. He's suffering from internal injuries, unless a celestial being descends to earth."

"Don't talk nonsense. With me here, I will never let anything happen to him."

"His eyes are blind, blinded by poison," the waiter said coolly. "The dagger that stabbed him was also poisoned, otherwise why do you think he would have stabbed him off course? A demon who has killed countless people would not make a mistake on such a trivial matter, nor would he have any brotherly affection or reluctance. The push he made wasn't random; it was to accelerate the poison's effects. You're so smart, you call yourself an expert in detoxification, yet you couldn't even see through such an obvious trick."

The waiter sneered, "It really proves the saying 'concern leads to confusion'!"